


A Tale of Wendigos and Tablets

by boundtoanandroid



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies), Paragon and Renegade (Webcomic), Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-16 20:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 58,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5840065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boundtoanandroid/pseuds/boundtoanandroid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It doesn't matter how many times he tries. They'll still die, and it'll still be his fault. It doesn't matter how many times he resets time. Yet, his determination keeps him going. </p><p>They will survive until dawn, no matter the cost. </p><p>To further trouble him, a relic from a time long forgotten has decided to take it's toll on him, throwing the immortal on the verge of death. With his sanity wearing thin, he is beginning to give up until his friend steps up to plate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was done as my NaNoWriMo story for 2015. It's about the protagonists of my webcomic after the events of the comic, showing what they get up to after everything settles down. 
> 
> They're both mutants, and Connor has a time travel ability. He can take people through time.

** A Tale of Wendigos and Tablets **

**Prologue**

Glittering ripples washed in the legendary Nile, reflecting the setting sun’s light perfectly. Sand blew on the servants working in the shadows of the grand pyramids they had built, irritating them as they brought offerings up to the great Pharaoh Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of Egypt. They paid little mind to the lithe, toned man draped on the edge of his throne, focusing only on appeasing their Pharaoh.

The lithe man wrapped his arm around the Pharaoh’s shoulders, causing the Pharaoh to gently grasp his hand. The servants said their blessings and left the pair be, and they were escorted out of the palace halls by the Pharaoh’s many guards. The Pharaoh eyed over the offerings, not paying them much mind seeing as his thoughts were lost in the lithe man.

Ahkmenrah dismissed his guards and ordered the lithe man to his private quarters, seeking a moment alone. The guards bowed to their Pharaoh, obeying his request and swiftly leaving. Ahkmenrah wrapped his arm around the lithe man’s waist, bringing him along as the pair walked leisurely to his quarters.

“My dear song bird,” Ahkmenrah purred, bringing the lithe man close and resting his head on his shoulder. “My precious jewel…”

“I’ve a name, you know.” The lithe man jested, grinning slightly.

“I realise, song bird, but I’d rather call you other things. More… exciting things.”

“Are you implying that my name isn’t exciting?” He feigned hurt, and playfully put a hand over his heart.

“Not at all, _Connor._ ” Ahkmenrah finally caved, turning Connor around and bringing him in for a deep kiss. Connor chuckled, though it was muffled.

Ahkmenrah broke the kiss, gazing lovingly at Connor’s striking blue eyes. He took in every feature of his face, from the dark freckles dusted along his cheeks and nose, to the crossed scar on his chin, to his dark lips, to the flecks of gold near his pupils, to the way his dark hair was pushed back on his head. He memorized every feature for the umpteenth time that day, wishing to never have to look away. Connor, likewise, was entranced in the jade color of the Pharaoh’s kind eyes. The eyes that had watched him prowl the deserts, fend off palace raiders, dance to outlandish songs and play his alien instrument.

Ahkmenrah held Connor close, relishing this moment the two had. The sun was beginning to disappear behind the shimmering Nile, causing a sudden wave of weariness to wash over the Pharaoh. He yawned, covering his mouth with his fist.

“Shall we retire for the evening?” He offered, turning away to begin removing all of the gold adorning his toned body.

Connor nodded, removing his arm bands and the large golden beaded necklace he wore. He stretched his arms over his head, noticing the young Pharaoh watching him intently. He chuckled as he took off the elegant golden belt he wore, leaving him only in his tunic. Ahkmenrah continued disrobing, seeing Connor slip under the silk covers of his bed. When he had finished, he joined the foreign man, tenderly holding him close to his chest. Connor chuckled, shifting to get comfortable. The sun finally disappeared behind the Egyptian sands, darkening the room and leaving only the light of the various torches on the walls.

Ahkmenrah sighed in contentment, pressing a gentle kiss to Connor’s soft hair.

“I love you, my songbird.” He muttered, smiling as Connor wrapped his arms around his waist and gently squeezed.

“I love you, too, my darling Pharaoh.” Connor whispered, his weariness finally beginning to catch up with him as he drifted off to sleep.

Ahkmenrah watched him for a brief moment, absent mindedly tracing the various scars across his back. He had meant to ask where he had gotten all of the scars that littered his body, but he had never remembered to when he was awake. The faded, jagged lines spiraled around, patterning themselves and contrasting against his dark skin. Some deeper scars still had a small bit of red in their deepest parts, but it was jaded.

The Pharaoh smiled, giving Connor one more gentle squeeze before falling asleep, still cradling Connor in his embrace.

 

 

Connor had awoken to Shepseheret’s blood curdling screams, and had fully awoken to the feeling of blood on his face and chest. He shot up, and joined in her screams when he realized what had happened.

Ahkmenrah’s throat had been slit during the night.

The Queen pulled Connor out of the bed, screaming for servants to bring her cloths to clean him off. Connor’s expression was one of pure shock, refusing to believe the sight in front of him.

A woman with dark hair and fair skin ran into the room, a panicked look on her face. “Connor, are you okay?!” She asked, seeing Ahkmenrah’s body after asking. She gasped, rushing to Shepseheret and Connor’s side and holding his head in her delicate hands. She wiped away the blood on his face with her delicate fingers. Servants began bustling through the room, all of them gasping and screaming in horror at their Pharaoh’s body.

At first glance, they all suspected Connor of being the culprit, but when they saw the empty tears streaming down his face and the way his breath was hitching, their suspicions were dissuaded. He and Shepseheret clung to each other, sobbing and fearful. Servants brought them the cloths that the Queen had asked for and began cleaning the blood from Connor’s face and upper body.

No words were spoken, and the only sounds were the two’s cries, servants’ chatter, and their bustle as they tried to figure out what had happen. Merenkahre rushed in to comfort his wife and son-in-law’s cries, not knowing what was happening until he entered the room. The trio crumpled to the floor, sobbing at the loss of the Fourth King of Egypt, not noticing the fair skinned woman standing and glancing at the corpse.

“I suppose that means we’ll take our leave.” She muttered to herself. “Though I fear this isn’t the last time we’ll see the Pharaoh.”


	2. Chapter One: A Mutant's Second Home

**Chapter One: A Mutant’s Second Home**

 

“Connor, come on! Hurry up, you’re going to be late.” Juliet said, flickering the lights in his room as she leaned against the door frame.

Connor groaned and rubbed his eyes, sitting up. He shuddered when the covers fell off his bare chest, not used to the cool temperature of the room. Goosebumps formed on his arms and chest. Glaring up at Juliet, he tore the remaining sheets off and grabbed a shirt off of his desk chair.

“I was getting up…” He mumbled, pulling the striped grey shirt over his head.

“Uh huh. Sure you were.” She said, crossing her arms. “Come on, get your things together so we can get you to school. You’re to finish that painting, remember?”

“Fuck, that’s right…” Connor began changing into a pair of worn jeans as he kept talking to Juliet.

“I still don’t see why we’re bothering with putting me in college. I’m already a graduate for fucks sake.”

“You know well why you’re still here. We needed to establish a place in this timeline, and we have. We need to maintain our cover. You’re making it sound like you’re having a miserable time.” She chuckled.

Connor glared. “Have you seen the kind of shit these kids pull? Jesus, not even other soldiers were this bad!”

Juliet laughed. “Trust me, Connor, I’ve been in college several times. I know their severity.”

“Kids are mean…”

She laughed harder, causing another glare in her direction. “Sorry, but… Connor, you’re a soldier! A notorious hero! And here you are, afraid of some children.”

“Oh shut up. I’m not afraid.” Connor buckled his belt and began tying his shoes. “Ugh, school is dumb.”

“But you’re a college graduate. You’ve got perfect grades.”

“That’s my point. I’m scoring everything perfectly. I’m the smartest person in this school and it’s boring as hell. There’s no challenge for me.”

“Connor, half your classes are art classes. Which continues to surprise me; you’ve never had an interest in art before.”

“I have, I’ve just been too busy saving the world to pursue it.”

“Ah. Makes sense, with Alejandro and Estela both being artists. Speaking of, you need to call them. I’m certain your family wants to know what you’ve been up to.”

“But I don’t want to. They’ll ask what I’m up to, and when I tell them, they’re going to want to meet my friends. I’m not going to traumatize them with the Nuno family.”

“Josh is going to have to meet them eventually.”

“Shhhh, no, no he doesn’t need to.”

Connor finished tying his shoes, pulled on a dark maroon jacket, and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He unplugged his phone from its charger and shoved it in his pocket. He plugged in his earbuds and slung them around his neck. Saluting to Juliet jokingly, he grabbed his keys and walked to the elevator down.

He waved to several of the workers at Stark Industries, which had become attached to the tower he lived in. He rode the elevator down to the parking garage, beeping his keys until he found his silver Mitsubishi. He hopped in and plugged his phone into the AUX cord, selecting a random album to listen to on his way to school.

Nicki Minaj’s “Trini Dem Girls” blared out of the stereo, causing Connor to chuckle quietly. He pulled out of the parking garage and drove through New York City, singing along as he drove to the more suburban area where his school was located.

He and Juliet had come to this time in the year 2010, establishing Connor’s role in the Avengers and giving him a name. While he himself did not take part in the Battle of New York, he had helped defend the citizens of New York and get them to safety, keeping off of the media’s radar. S.H.I.E.L.D. had honored his request to keep him out of all of their files and records, so that on the off chance S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised, no one would know of his existence.

Then S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised. Neither Connor nor Juliet were exactly surprised, but they did have to fight to get everything related to S.H.I.E.L.D. out of the Avengers Tower. It did not take them very long. There was rather little in the first place, and with Tony’s help, it took no time at all. Connor was still off of the grid, which was the important thing.

The battle against Ultron, now that he had taken part in. It was a quiet role, figure out what mutations the Twins, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, had. It didn’t take him long to figure out. He’s fast, she’s weird. He also discovered their true, albeit temporar, intentions in joining Hydra. They had joined in an attempt to find their father, Erik Lehnsherr. Magneto. Needless to say, it didn’t go the way they had hoped.

Ultron had proven an annoying foe for Connor, but not one he couldn’t defeat. Or figure out quickly. He’d faced worse before, what with the Reaper attacks and the Collectors. He had been more of a nuisance than anything. Connor had managed a way to get through Ultron’s meddling and speed everything up for the Avengers.

Getting the Twins to join their side was, again, too easy for Connor. He had tried to warn Wanda when they fought over the raw vibranium. She didn’t listen, but he had instilled the seed of doubt that the Avengers needed. It was also quite funny to him that she had tried to use his mind against him, seeing as he was telepathic himself. He made her think it had worked, just walking around like an idiot and calling out Juliet’s name. Juliet had thought it was funny.

Connor sighed at the memories. It was all terribly dull to him, with very little challenge being presented to him. School wasn’t much better. He had taken every standardized test they had and had scored perfectly on each of them. He had flawless scores in each of his classes. Even the most advanced courses the school system could offer him, he aced immediately.

He filled much of his spare time by turning to art. Sketchbook after sketchbook was filled with idle doodles, full pieces, and notes, and they were all piled in neat stacks. Never were school notes written, of course. He made notes on people.

He had become much more observant since coming to this time. In the Alliance and on Thedas, he had been forced to observe people and the way they behave for signs of betrayal and corruption, but never the way act individually. Little things like the nervous ticks people had, the way their smiles lit up their eyes, posture. Things he found beautiful, subtle, interesting. He would doodle people in his classes, teachers, the Avengers, people on the streets, and he would write little notes about them. He had filled a total of twelve sketchbooks since coming to New York, and was working on his thirteenth.

Juliet hadn’t lied when she said the majority of his classes were art courses. First block painting, second block ceramics, third block psychology, fourth block chemistry, fifth block advanced physics. Every day. He had taken chemistry to keep him somewhat focused on science, his forte. Even though he already had a degree in biochemistry. Timelines are weird.

He hated his psych class. The other students kept trying to tell him what was going on inside his head, psychological problems he already knew he had. They missed by a long shot when they guessed he was ADHD. Though, in all honesty, he wouldn’t be too terribly surprised if a medical professional said the same thing. His hyperactive brain on its own would likely be ADHD, but with the Tesseract mediating it, there was little actual medicine could do for him. The students would all try and tell each other what was going on in each other’s heads like they were fully trained therapists. It was embarrassing to watch, yet also funny at the same time.

He hated being so different from everyone else. He felt like he didn’t belong, since he really didn’t. After numerous attempts to express this to Juliet, Connor had just decided to give up and deal with it. It wasn’t hurting him too terribly much. At least, that was what he told himself. Isolation was what he had been forced to grow accustomed to, after all.

Finally pulling into the student parking lot, Connor took his regular spot near the entrance to the school’s pool. Despite not being on the swim team, he knew a couple of the members, and they let him have a parking pass. After several incidents where the swim team had to help bring in large projects from across the large parking lot, of course. He parked, took his phone, and undid his seatbelt, quick to get into the school building and get to work on his project.

He had taken a liking of using art to portray the different things that had happened to him over his life. Teachers often praised him for being so imaginative, when in truth, he was only immortalizing the various events of his life. The project he was currently working on was a 4ft by 5ft portrait painting of the Inner Circle of the Inquisition, himself included. Though he did make some minor adjustments to the painting so that it did not look like an exact portrait of himself. He gave teachers the excuse of it being from a video game, and they didn’t question it.

It was strange for him to be painting his friends that were long dead and gone. Well, technically at his point in time, they didn’t exist yet, but regardless. It still felt weird. Tossing his bag next to his stool, he grabbed and opened his palette and brushes, resuming work on Cassandra Penteghast’s chiseled face. His teacher, Mr. Hunt, hadn’t arrived yet. The school staff had learned Connor’s patterns fairly quickly, and always left the art room doors unlocked for him. He thought they should just give him a key, but it seemed unlikely that they would.

Putting in his earbuds, he soon got lost in his work, as was his way every morning. The music moved him to keep working, to finish the portrait. Though his thoughts kept wandering to the people in the portrait, and the adventures they had been on. Through his music, he thought he could hear people talking. His suspicions were confirmed when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

“Seriously, do you do anything else?” Mike’s joking tone said as he watched Connor pull out an earbud.

“Oh I get up to all kinds of things, _amigo._ You just don’t see ‘em.” He said, grinning.

Mike had become one of Connor’s closest friends rather fast when he came to New Dawn High School. Connor had been a quiet student from the beginning, always choosing to sit away from other students. Mike didn’t like that, and swiftly convinced the teacher to move him next to him. He began talking to Connor, and eventually introduced him to his friend group. Over the course of the next two years, Connor had seriously opened up to the students of New Dawn. Even more so when coming to New York University with the rest of his friends.

He had become especially close with a certain Joshua Washington, who looked strikingly like someone he had used to know. He almost refused to think about it, despite Juliet pointing it out on several occasions. Connor and Josh had initially thought each other brash and rude, not realizing how similar they were. It was only after Connor defended him from merciless bullies who beat him up on the football field one day that the two became friends. It was slightly rocky at first, what with the two being used to hating each other, but they managed to find a way to get along.

During their sophomore year was when Josh began to develop odd feelings for his friend. It took months of denial and talking to his friends for him to realize he had developed romantic feelings for Connor. Little did he know that Connor was experiencing something similar.

Connor could bitterly recall the night he came to Juliet in tears over this. “I can’t be falling for him!” he had said. “He’s his descendent! That makes it look like I’m just going down the family line!” It took hours for Juliet to convince him of otherwise. Much to her annoyance. And partially his own.

“I’d really rather not know what sorts of exciting things you get up to, Connor.” Mike chuckled, taking a seat next to Connor and leaning on the table behind him. He observed the painting, looking over each of the faces painted on the once white canvas.

“So who are these people exactly?” Mike asked, watching Connor mix paint.

“Inner Circle of the Inquisition.”

“Uh huh. And why are you in it?”

  
“What? That’s not me. Just a guy who looks like me.”

“That purposeful?”

“No.” Connor said absentmindedly as he kept working. “Just kinda happened, I guess.” He shrugged slightly.

“Huh.” Mike was quiet for a brief moment. “So you coming to movie night tonight? We’re doing Christmas movies.”

“Dude, it’s November second.” Connor said, stopping his work to stare at Mike. “We haven’t even had Thanksgiving yet.”

“I know, I know, but Hannah and Jess are already stuck on the idea of Christmas. I think Em is, too.”

Connor chuckled. “Not surprised. I’ll try to come.”

“You always say that, and yet you always show.”

“Shh. I like to have an air of mystery around me.” Connor grinned, as did Mike.

“Speaking of…” Mike began, folding his arms and raising his brows amusedly.

Oh no.

“You and Josh, eh? How long did you two plan on hiding this from me?”

Connor glared at Mike’s shit eating grin. “As long as we could. We didn’t want you knowing. You’d tell people.”

“Really?! I’m hurt.” Mike feigned hurt, laughing afterwards. “But seriously, I’m happy for you two. You’re a good match for Josh. How long has this been a thing?”

“Since like, Christmas of sophomore year. Of high school.”

Mike’s jaw dropped. “Seriously??! Dude, what the hell?! Were you ever gonna tell me?!”

“No.” Connor couldn’t help but smile.

Mike huffed and lightly punched Connor’s shoulder. “Dick…” He muttered.

Connor laughed. “Dude, I didn’t know you and Em were a thing for the longest time. Cut me some slack.”

Mike chuckled. “I’ll give you that, but still. Dude, how did you guys hide this so well from me?”

“Kept all romantic affection private. Both Josh and I already playfully flirt with people, so no one really noticed when we were seriously flirting. Avoided all topics of relationships, just sort of answered questions with a shrug.”

“I’m still trying to get why you guys hid it from me.”

“We didn’t want the entire school knowing about us. We already got hounded over being in relationships with girls, did you really think Josh could handle the harassment that would come with dating a guy? At least in high school. College should be better. Not as tightly knit, less people know of our existence… Easier to hide… ” Connor mumbled the last few words as he leaned in close to the painting to work on the finer values of Cassandra’s cheek scar.

“I can get behind that, yeah. For Josh’s sake, right? Yeah.” Mike stood and pat Connor’s shoulder. “Well, I’ll see ya tonight, man.”

“See ya.” Connor called out as Mike left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Connor was now a sophomore in college, this time aiming at a physics degree. Perhaps an art history degree, who knows. He had plenty of time to decide, he kept telling himself. He wasn’t exactly wrong, per say, but Juliet was still hounding him over it. Time flies faster than you think, she would say. We have control over time, he would retort.

Putting his earbud back in, Connor quickly lost himself in his work yet again. Other students eventually piled into the spacious art room, taking their seats and resuming their work. Some chose to watch Connor as he worked, trying to learn from observing how he worked. After a few minutes, most of the students went back to their own works, taking something from watching him.

Connor sighed as he polished the final details on Cassandra, moving to accent all members of the Inquisition and place the finishing details. After a few more minutes, he threw his signature on the corner and leaned back, observing his final work. He smiled fondly, recalling some of his adventures within the Inquisition.

He snapped a quick photo of it and sent it to Juliet and in the group chat he had with his group of friends.

**Connor:** New picture message!  
 **Connor:** finally finished this thing

**Chris:** ooooo prettyyy

**Ashley:** omg connor it looks so good!!!!! :DDD

**Em:** daammnnnnn boy! looks great!

**Matt:** dude! nice!

**Jessie:** What’re you gonna do with it???

**Connor:** probably gonna put it with all the other paintings i’ve made

**Hannah:** you could so sell it!

**Beth:** ya!  
 **Beth:** I could try to talk dad into letting his coworkers look at it?

**Connor:** isn’t that what you say every time i finish a piece

**Beth:** you always say no!!

**Mike:** weird to think i was just watching u make this  
 **Mike:** lol

Connor chuckled as he read the message, shutting off his phone and putting it back in his pocket. He stood and stretched, not realizing how much time had passed. Picking up the drying canvas, he set it against a wall underneath the classroom’s whiteboard, catching the attention of his teacher. Mr. Hunt walked across the room and clapped Connor’s shoulder as he observed the finished piece.

“Good to see all your work come together, kid!” He said, grinning.

Connor thanked him and began to pack up his supplies, spacing out once again. His mind was in the clouds, not paying any attention as he absentmindedly put his supplies back on the metal paint-splattered shelves. His thoughts began to focus on the trip up to the Washington mountain lodge he and his friends would be partaking in in one week. Juliet had warned him that something was amiss about this trip, and that he should travel with caution. He had had dreams, no, nightmares, warning him of the same thing.

Repeatedly and increasingly horrific each time they appeared, each depicted Connor going through the same night again and again, with someone new dying each time. It had begun to plague Connor; he was trying to get himself out of this trip, but to no avail. For he knew if he did not go, every single person he loved and cared about in this friend group would lie dead at his feet. He would not stand for this. He won’t. He couldn’t live with himself if he stood by and let his friends die again… Not after what had happened before.

Connor sighed heavily, resting his face in his hands frustratedly. He hated the fact he was always the one being put in these difficult situations, that he was the one who had to do all of these extra things just to keep the ones he cares about alive. He recalled the last trip he had taken to the cabin bitterly.

_Despite his persistent protests, the group had gone about pranking Hannah, pitting her crush on Mike against her. She had run out into the raging snowstorm to escape the cruelty of her friend, Beth following close behind._

_Connor had heard the screeches. He glanced at the door fearfully, swiftly charging out after the twins without a moment of hesitation with his claws bared, despite the growing chill. He tracked Hannah and Beth, keeping a close eye on them and scouting for the hellish creature that inevitably had begun to hunt the young girls._

_He had kept as out of sight as they could, but he accidentally broke a twig under his boot, alerting both the twins and the wendigo to his presence. It lunged out at the girls, chasing them to the edge of a deadly cliff. Connor had managed to trap the beast then, setting it ablaze while he tore it to shreds. Hannah and Beth had backed closer to the edge of the cliff, eventually falling back. Beth had only just managed to grab onto the edge, allowing Connor to pull them back up._

_The two had been traumatized by the event, and it had begun to affect Josh. Despite Connor’s protests, Josh stopped taking the medicine that had kept him mentally stable for the longest time. Connor had managed to slip it into his food for the longest time, but Josh eventually discovered that as well._

_Josh lashed out at Connor, claiming he was trying to worsen his mental state by getting him to take medicine that didn’t work. Connor refused to back down, causing the first and worst fight the two had ever had. Josh had swung a couple of punches at Connor, not thinking about it in the moment. He had hit him, too. Connor didn’t fight back, despite his growing desire to. That night had been a true test of Connor’s patience and self control._

_Josh admitted then to planning the elaborate prank he had constructed to seek revenge on his “friends” that had pranked Hannah while he had been passed out drunk. In his rush of adrenaline, Josh confessed every single detail, every last aspect of the prank. From the dolls, to the dummy that would have been sawed in half, to chasing Sam and filming her while she bathed, to forcing Chris to choose between him and Ashley, then again between saving himself or Ashley. It was pointlessly cruel and damn near sadistic. Connor tried everything he could to get Josh to back down, and talked him out of most of the worst things. Such as every single thing listed, along with sparing Mike and Jess._

_Josh had broken down then, confessing more and more. About his mental insanity, his feelings towards most people, the overwhelming stress he was in. Connor held him close as he sobbed, petting his head gently as Josh rambled on and on. After a while, Josh calmed down, telling Connor he wanted new medication. He wanted to be alright. Connor swore he would do what he could._

And he had. He had done everything he could, including having Juliet heal his mind. Josh had had more mental issues than he had let on, specifically, schizophrenia. What had amazed Connor was Josh’s medical records. All the doctors ever seemed to do was blame Josh’s issues on depression, choosing to ignore all of the signs of schizophrenia. Juliet used the combined powers of the reluctant Aeather and the Tesseract to heal those aspects of his mind. Connor had used his memory manipulation on the medical professionals that had taken on Josh, causing them to prescribe him a few antidepressants and a dopamine stabilizer and call it good.

Josh had given up on the idea of the prank, but hearing of it worsened the nightmares plaguing Connor. His perfect memory, granted to him by the Tesseract, caused him to remember his partner’s plans with perfect clarity. He had nightmares of being hung on the wall next to Ashley and being sawed in half. Of being shot through the head by Chris as saws descended from the ceiling. Vivid images of his blood being spilled, of wendigos attacking again and again, ever relentless in their strikes.

Connor shuddered just thinking about it. He glanced at the time, seeing he was going to be let out of this class soon. He pulled out his phone and opened a small game he had, choosing to space out til class ended. He didn’t want to go to ceramics today. They were working on Greek vases, and he had finished his a week ago. The rest of the class didn’t work at his pace, though, so he was stuck with nothing to do while the rest of the class built and perfected their vases. He decided to just make more notes on people in the meantime. There was that cute girl with the cornrows who sat across the room… Perhaps he would study her.

The bell rang, signalling passing period. Connor slung his bag on his shoulder and began his walk across campus to the ceramics room. NYU had had a better art program than he would have expected, which is part of why he stayed there to attend instead of going to somewhere like the Kansas City Art Institute. That and the fact he had to stay in New York for other purposes, so that option wasn’t even there for him. He might choose to study there one day.

_‘Perhaps…’_ He thought as he looked around campus.

Leaves had begun falling off of the trees in early September, yet golden and red leaves still littered the ground in thick piles. Connor zipped up his maroon jacket, fighting back the small chill that threatened to wash over him. The campus courtyard was littered with students passing through. A small group of about three students were taking pictures of the grand architecture of the building. One girl was signing in the middle of the courtyard while a friend played guitar. Several students were clustered near the main entrance, all on their laptops and laughing. Connor recognized the group as his own, and smiled to himself before walking over.

Deciding to play a small prank, he snuck up behind his boyfriend of four years and grabbed his sides lightly, causing him to jump and drop his laptop on the grass. He yelped, causing the rest of the group the laugh at his expense. Connor laughed along as he say next to him, grinning when Josh huffed and picked his laptop back up.

“Don’t be a dick, dude.” He muttered, resuming whatever it was he had been working on.

Connor chuckled. “I don’t know, that’s pretty hard for me.”

“You’re telling me.”

Chris gave him a fist bump. “Nice to see ya, man. That painting looks awesome!”

“Thanks. A month of work got poured into that thing, so I’d hope it’d look good.” Connor set his backpack down behind him, sneakily wrapping an arm around Josh’s waist.

“Oh, we’re doing public affection now?” Josh questioned, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at Connor.

“Yeah. Mike found out, so what’s the point hiding it?” Connor shrugged.

“What?! Who told him?!”

Josh eyed the group up suspiciously. Mike scoffed and held a hand to his chest jokingly.

“You mean everyone except me knew!??!”

“Pretty much.” Connor said, grinning.

Jess tried her best to avoid eye contact with Josh, trying to suppress a giggle.

“You bitch!!” Josh yelled, laughing slightly. He grinned slightly to show he was only joking.

Jess finally caved and full on laughed. “I’m sorry, Josh! I was doing so good, too!”

  
“I feel so betrayed!” Mike cried melodramatically. “Even my own girlfriend!”

Emily giggled. “That’s what you get, trusting her with your secrets.”

Jess laughed along. “True true! But hey, I was doing good! I kept quiet for a good three months!”

Ashley and Sam joined in on laughing. Josh had huffed again, a light flush covering his cheeks as he pouted. Connor gently squeezed his waist, resting his head on his shoulder. Chris chuckled, watching Josh as he lightly punched Connor’s chest. His annoyance did not last long, though, as he gave a miniscule smile to Connor.

After a minute of laughter, Matt walked over to the group, taking a seat besides Emily.

“What’s up?” He asked.

The words had barely left his mouth when Mike questioned “Matt! How long have you known about Connor and Josh?!”

Matt was baffled for a few seconds before he replied. “Uh? Since the beginning? I think I was the first to find out??”

Mike groaned, falling back on the grass dramatically. “I hate you all. I feel so betrayed.” He said as he sat back up.

The group laughed at Mike’s expense, not paying much attention to the world around them. Josh shut his laptop and shoved it back in his bag, choosing to lean into Connor’s embrace. He wasn’t quite used to public affection, but based on several comments made by Emily and Jess, he felt safe. They had vowed that if anyone made any negative comments about their relationship, or either of them in general, they’d “strap them to a bed of nails, strap that bed of nails to the hood of Jess’s car, and laugh as they drove over speed bumps in a mall parking lot during an earthquake”. Thus far, no one has dared to speak ill of Josh, nor any of their friends.

Ashley went on to tell a story of what had happened to her as she was driving to school this morning. Josh sighed, catching Connor’s attention. Connor pulled out his phone and sent Josh a text.

_‘C: U ok?’_

_‘J: not really’_

_‘C: What’s going on?’_

_‘J: not sure i'm ready for the world to know about us…’_

_‘C: U know that Em and jess were serious about the bed of nails thing, right’_

_Josh chuckled._

_‘J: yeah, i know. still…’_

_‘C: Josh, we don’t have to announce to everyone that we’re together.’_

_‘J: i know, i know.’_

_‘C: i love you’_

_Josh smiled as he typed._

_‘J: i love you, too, connor’_

_‘C: I can also try to keep Mike from blabbing about us?’_

_‘J: pre sure that’s impossible’_

_‘C: Probably’_

Ashley became increasingly upset as she told her story.

“And then the guy comes around me on the LEFT, scaring the shit out of me and almost hitting me!” She yelled, waving her hands around to emphasize her point. Chris chuckled at the melodrama of her story telling. “I was just trying to get onto the highway!”

Josh and Connor continued their text conversation, only half paying attention to Ashley’s increasingly dramatic story.

_‘C: Josh, if u don’t want to be public…’_

_‘J: no no! i do, i’m just’_

_‘J: nervous?’_

_‘C: I can understand that’_

_‘J: i mean’_

_‘J: these four years have been the best of my life’_

_‘J: and i’m happy we don’t have to hide anymore’_

_‘J: but like…’_

_‘C: I completely understand, but we’ve only just started this’_

_‘J: yeah…’_

_‘C: The longer we’re public, the more adjusted to it you’ll get’_

_‘J: yeah. you’re right.’_

Connor placed a gentle kiss on Josh’s cheek, with none of the others noticing. Josh flushed slightly and leaned further into Connor’s touch, causing him to wrap his other arm around him. Josh hummed in contentment, tuning in to the end of Ashley’s story.

“So there I am, trying to pull into the gas station and pulled in as much as I could be in the turn lane, because of the backed up traffic, and when it cleared and I went to pull in, TURN SIGNAL ON AND EVERYTHING, not one. Not two. Not three. BUT FOUR PEOPLE COME AROUND ME ON THE LEFT!! AGAIN!!!”

“Dude, seriously?!” Mike questioned.

“Yeah! Like, I almost hit the last one!”

“That’s scary as hell, Ash!” Matt said. “Part of why I don’t like driving.”

“Same.” Chris said as he nodded.

“Then there’s fucking Speed Racer over here.” Josh said looking at Jess.

“What?! I don’t drive… that fast.” She chuckled.

“Really? I got motion sickness riding in the passenger seat when I rode with you, and I don’t even have motion sickness.” Emily said in a deadpan tone.

The group laughed, causing Jess to flush then laugh along. Briefly glancing at the time, Connor realized he needed to get to the ceramics room. He pecked Josh’s cheek and stood, grabbing his stuff. The group gave him their goodbyes, continuing their conversations after he left. He put his earbuds back in, letting himself get lost in the music again.

The rest of the day passed rather quickly. Aside from the occasional text from Josh, he kept to himself and didn't really speak to anyone. Especially in his psych class. He didn’t know why he was still in this course. Likely his own laziness. Or Juliet’s involvement. He filled a few pages of his sketchbook with pictures of his friends and his notes. He hadn’t noticed he had been idly drawing Josh until there were several sketches of him on the page.

Chemistry wasn’t all that exciting. Take notes, fill out a worksheet, more notes. More worksheets. He recalled that getting his biochemistry degree was much more exciting than this. Likely because he was balancing this and work in a strip club, trying not to spill dangerous chemicals and elements on his work clothes. And, you know, the mercenaries and criminals all trying to kill him at any given moment.

Connor sighed as he walked back to his car, hearing the sounds of the swim team in rehearsal. He waved at them through the glass doors, seeing a few members wave back. He climbed into his car, turned it on, and drove back to the tower, thoughts still in the clouds.

 

  
_“He will come eventually.”_

_“It has been every night for the past three years I have waited for him. When will he come, Blackbird?”_

  
_“Soon, I assure you.”_

_“But how do you know?”_

_“... I have no way of knowing for certain. I lost that ability. But, I do know him. He’ll come around eventually.”_

_“I do not know how much longer I can bear to wait.”_

_“Patience, child. It will all happen in due time.”_

_“But Blackbird-”_

_“It is close to dawn. You must return to your place, and I must go.”_

_“... You are right. But… will he be safe on this trip?”_

_“I do not know. I will do all I can to ensure his safety, but there is no telling with him.”_

_“Please, keep my songbird safe…”_

_“I will do what I can. Now rest, child.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the story Ashley is telling is an actual thing that happened to me once. I was trying to pull into a gas station and the traffic was really backed up, so I couldn't fully get into the turn lane. I turned my blinker on and got as close in as I could. Then, people behind me decided they were more important and didn't want to wait the thirty seconds it would take for me to turn in, and four separate cars came around me on the left. I was trying to make a left turn. I almost hit the last one. I live in America, so cars generally drive on the RIGHT side of the street. The moral of this story is if you see someone trying to make a turn, go around them on the opposite side. Don't be a jackass.


	3. Chapter Two: Danger on the Mountain

**Chapter Two: Danger on the Mountain**

 

“Come on, Jay, we can’t keep them waiting forever!”

“I know, I know. Tony kept asking me for things.” Juliet yelled across the floor. “I’m good to go.”

Connor threw his baggage in the elevator, waiting for Juliet to come down with him. Despite Josh’s protests, Connor had insisted Juliet come along on the trip to the Washington lodge. He had confided in her about the recurring nightmares, about the horrid images he saw each night, and she had confirmed there were wendigos on the mountain. She had helped him purge as many as they could, but a few still remained. And they were aware of the teens that came to the mountain, much to Connor’s dismay.

Juliet dragged her suitcase behind her, trying to balance a filled backpack at the same time. She walked into the elevator, letting out a sigh and smiling as Connor pushed the button and the door closed.

“Despite the circumstances, I’m quite excited to get to go to the cabin.” She said. “I’ve heard so many stories of things that’ve happened, rather excited to see the place for myself!”

Connor hummed. “Yeah. It’s pretty big, but it’s cozy as hell. Especially when everyone’s gathered in the living room in front of the fire…” He chuckled. “One time, we were all watching some horror movie that Josh had found, and Beth got so spooked by one of the jumpscares, she threw the bowl of popcorn she had in the air and it landed on Josh’s head. We all laughed and ate the popcorn off of the blanket he had.”

Juliet laughed. “Oh my god. I don’t imagine he took it well?”

“Oh hell no. He was pelting her with popcorn for the rest of the weekend!”

The two laughed again. After calming down, Juliet got serious. A grim look crossed her features, and she stared straight ahead at the elevator doors.

“Connor, I’ve been doing investigations regarding that mountain, and I think there’s a high possibility that mutant hunters might be staking it out.”

“What?!” Connor’s eyes widened as he turned to look at the shorter woman. She nodded.

“Indeed. It seems they’ve caught up to us at last. I thought that the case files looked familiar, so I got into the Stryker files, and it’s the same pattern. I think he’s figured out we’re here.” Her brows knit together as she thought of the possibility of Stryker’s return.

“Fuck, shit, shit fuck!” Connor muttered. “We can’t let them get to the cabin. Do they know the danger of the wendigo?!”

“No, no one except us knows.”

“Fuucckkk…”

“Yeah…” She murmured. “I’ve gotten what’s left of S.H.I.E.L.D. monitoring the mountain and looking for any traces of Stryker. I’ve tried to contact the X Men, to see if they know anything, but I haven’t been able to reach them.”

“Coulson’s team up there?”

“Yes.”

“Good… good, they’ll keep them safe…” Connor sighed. “Fuck, I can’t worry about this, too…”

Juliet rested her hand on his shoulder. “Connor, I’ll be there. This won’t be like those nightmares. You’ve already talked Josh out of the prank, so now we only have to worry about the wendigos. And trapping them in the Fade is rather simple.”

“I really don’t like doing that.”

“You know it’s the only way to get rid of them and the curse.”

“I thought we lifted the curse!”

“We did on the mountain itself, but not the individual wendigos.”

“Uuuugggghhhhhhh.”

“Oh hush. I’m doing this for you, remember?”

“Yeah.”

As they came to the bottom of the elevator, they walked to Connor’s car and threw their belongings in the trunk. Connor took the driver’s seat, not paying much attention as Juliet kicked off her sneakers, curling up in the car’s passenger seat. She reached back into the back seat, grabbing the bags of snacks she and Connor had purchased earlier in the day. Connor grabbed a bottle of Dr. Pepper and opened it before starting the car.

“How long is this trip again?” Juliet asked as she opened the large bag of Twizzlers.

“Six hours. That’s why we’re leaving so early.”

“Ughhh.” She groaned in annoyance. “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but I hate long car rides.”

Connor chuckled as he pulled out of the Tower’s garage and turned onto the entrance to the highway. “You seemed just fine on the Normandy.”

“That’s because it was the Normandy! It was like home. I could get up and walk around, and wasn’t confined to a seat. And I could do things.”

“True, true. We practically lived on that thing.”

“We even had an apartment on the Citadel. And yet we still spent all our time on that ship… Ah, the good old days.”

“Jay, we almost died so many times on that ship. Hell, you did once.”

“That’s because the ship had exploded, and you’re the one with the healing factor.”

“Oh shush; you had Tess at that point.”

Juliet made a vague noise of annoyance as she shoved a Twizzler in her mouth. “Still hurt.” Her voice was muffled.

“Well you should have thought that through.”

“Oh, you know for a fact we don’t get to think these things through, Mr. Hero of Ferelden- got- stabbed. By a measly short sword, at that!” She chuckled as he grunted in annoyance.

“Oh fuck off.”

He pulled onto the highway, speeding up and letting Juliet choose the music as he drove. She put on a classic rock playlist Connor and her had previously made and continued munching on her Twizzlers.

For the first hour and a half of the drive, they were silent. Choosing to sing along to the music occasionally, primarily just letting it play. It was after the playlist had begun to loop that Juliet spoke up.

“I don’t see why you waited til the last minute to tell me about this.” She said, staring directly forward.

Connor’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, causing his knuckles to turn white. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You had the nightmares to warn you. Why bother repeating the same events over and over again by yourself when you had me at your disposal?”

“...” Connor was silent for a moment. “I didn’t want to ask for help.”

“Your stubbornness will be your downfall, you know.”

“I know.”

“So again I ask, why repeat the night, despite the nightmares?”

“They weren’t just nightmares.”

He pulled over into a gas station, shutting the car off for a moment. “I… I had flashes of their deaths in my dreams, but I didn’t understand it then.”

“I know. How many times did you repeat this night?” Her voice was soft, patience evident on her features.

  
Connor was silent.

“Connor, how many times?” Her voice hardened.

“... at least fifteen.”

Juliet’s mouth fell agape. “Fifteen?! You’ve repeated this same night FIFTEEN FUCKING TIMES??!”

Irritation and shock pulled her soft features into a hard glare, fiery eyes wide. Connor didn’t look up from the steering wheel, but Juliet could see him flinch ever so slightly at her raised voice. She sighed, pulling him into an awkward side hug.

“Why didn’t you come to me about this sooner? I could have helped.”

“You tried to, the time before last… But it was too late… Take a look.” He muttered, holding the tips of her fingers to his temples.

 

 

 

_“We’ve done all we can. I don’t think there’s anything else we can do, ma’am.”_

_“Then I’ll take him.”_

_“What?! Ma’am, no, I don’t think it’d be wise-”_

_“Just let me take him, doctor. I’ve got a base we can hold him in. It’s secure.”_

_“... fine. We’ll sedate him and send him in a secured cage.”_

_“Thank you.”_

_“Are you certain about this, Miss?”_

_“I know what I’m doing, son.”_

_“O-okay ma’am! I’ll get him moved as soon as I can!”_

_“Now, sweet thing. Now.”_

_Darkness. Dim candle light. Water sprayed on me. Candles get closer. Chanting. Chanting. Constant chanting. Screaming in my ear. Blood rushing. Drowns out chanting. Candle wax drips on me. Try to get up. Get kicked to the ground. Pain sears in my side. I snarl. They kick again. Blood calms down. Chanting increases. Something exits my body. I scream. Chanting gets louder. More candle wax. World goes dark. Head collides on cement._

_Connor’s head hurt when he awoke. The lights were bright in the stark white room he resided in. His eyes narrowed to shield themselves from the harsh light. His head throbbed in pain as he sat up. It proved to be difficult when he discovered his hands were bound, as were his feet. Chains were attached to the metal cuffs around his wrists and ankles. He tugged at them, knowing it wouldn't do anything. They clinked as he tugged. He could somewhat feel something around his throat, but as it didn’t feel any tug when he moved, he paid it little mind._

_Taking in the sight in front of him, the room was very bare. He could hear the ventilation in the ceiling. It hurt his ears slightly. There was a large, rectangular window in front of him, and there was a dark haired woman working at a desk facing him. She was pretty, but she looked really tired. Her almond shaped eyes stood out to Connor. They looked like fire. They were familiar, friendly even. He still didn’t trust them._

_He growled in a low tone, catching the woman’s attention. She looked up from her work, and seemed pleased that he was awake._

_She leaned into a microphone. “Connor? Can you hear me?”_

_He growled in response._

_“I’ll take that as yes.” She wrote something down. “So you still understand English?”_

_He nodded, deciding to listen to what the strange woman had to say._

_“Good, good…” She muttered. “Can you speak?”_

_He growled, baring his teeth. She frowned slightly._

_“I see… so no on speaking… that’ll be fun to teach you.”_

_Connor shifted his head around, looking around the empty room, before locking eyes with her again. The woman caught on to what he was trying to communicate._

_“You’re in the Avengers Tower, in New York City. You remember that place?”_

_He shook his head._

_“Do you remember anything?”_

_He thought for a minute before shaking his head again._

_“Do you remember me?”_

_He hesitated before shaking his head again._

_She sighed, a disappointed look crossing her pretty face. “As I thought. Shit… what can we do?”_

_Another man came into the room, holding a steaming cup in his hands. “We try to wake up the Tesseract.”_

_“But how?” The dark haired lady asked. “I’m not sure if there’s any way we can without getting close to him, especially with how rough those exorcisms were…”_

_Connor snarled, thinking about the priests and their candle wax and kicking and screaming. He had wanted to eat them, tear them apart, hurt them like they hurt him._

_The man looked at Connor through the glass. “Dude, he has so many teeth…”_

_“He’s been partially turned into a wendigo, Tony. Of course he’s got teeth to spare.”_

_“What’re we gonna tell the kid?” Tony asked, folding his arms. “He hasn’t left the base since we got him. We gotta do something, Jay.”_

_Jay sighed. “You mean Josh? He said the others from the cabin were coming. They weren’t going to leave until they knew Connor was alright.”_

_Connor frowned at the name. Josh… it sounded familiar. Important, even. Jay seemed to notice this. She leaned forward, a hopeful look on her face._

_“Do you know that name?” She asked._

_He nodded hesitantly._

_“Is Josh a good thing?”_

_Connor frowned, thinking. Slowly, he nodded, causing Jay to smile._

_“Tony, go get Josh. I wanna try something.” She muttered to Tony. He nodded and left the room, leaving Connor confused. He tried to form words, but all that came out was garbled nonsense. Jay gave a sympathetic smile._

_“Don’t worry, Connor. We’ll help you. I promise…”_

_He looked at her sadly and whined, trying his hardest to remember her, this Josh thing, the strange man. More garbled nonsense came from his mangled mouth, failing to form the words he was desperately trying to say. He whined again, tugging at the chains again. She sadly smiled._

_A door opened behind Jay, and Tony and a teenager with scratches and bruises on his head came in. The teen ran up to the glass and pressed his hands against it, startling Connor. Startled, he recoiled to where the chains bound him to the padded wall, causing the teen to move back. He looked like he was trying to say something, but since he wasn’t speaking into the mic, Connor couldn’t hear anything._

_Jay steered him to it, and he repeated what he said._

_“Connor? Are- are you okay?” His voice filled a sense of familiarity in Connor’s mind. A warm feeling came over him, and he didn’t know why. He looked at Josh intently, trying his best to remember this man, and why he is so important. Jay seemed to see this._

_“Do you remember him, Connor?” She asked._

_Connor frowned, trying still. His mouth moved, the teeth quietly clacking against each other. Jay kept talking._

_“His name is Joshua Washington. He’s a college student, like you. You two are very close. You went up to his cabin on Blackwood Mountain to stay with his friends for the weekend..”_

_Connor tried to speak again. “J- Jossshhhh?”_

  
_Jay’s eyes widened. “That’s the first word he’s spoken since he was recovered from the mines!” She whispered._

_Josh looked like there were tears forming in his eyes. “That’s right, Connor. I-I’m Josh…” He pressed his hand against the glass. Connor moved as far forward as he could, but he was caught on the chains and fell on his face. He looked up to Josh, making eyes contact. Josh put his hand on the glass again. His eyes were very green. Connor liked the color, and tried to talk again. However, he was less successful this time around, with the only thing coming out of his mouth being more of the nonsensical garble._

_Jay turned to him, saying something. Josh furiously nodded, seemingly not caring about the bruise on his head. She pushed a few buttons on the dashboard in front of her. Suddenly the restraints fell to the ground and he was freed. He rubbed at his wrists and the irritated skin on his wrists and whined in pain. After a minute, he sprang to his feet and got close to the glass, very close to where Josh was, trying to get a better look. His hands pressed up against the glass, claw like nails scratching at it slightly. Josh sprang back in surprise, eyes widening. Connor tilted his head, eyes quickly scanning over Josh. Josh regained his composure and went back up the glass, placing his palms where Connor’s were. He rested his forehead on the glass, muttering something. Jay moved the microphone under Josh’s head, not that the teen exactly noticed.._

_“Connor I’m so sorry… This is all my fault…” He began to cry slightly. “If I hadn’t wanted that stupid prank, if I’d just listened to you and taken my fucking meds…” His voice cracked._

_Connor whined softly, looking at his face in concern. He pawed at the glass._

_“God, I love you so much… I shouldn’t have dragged you into this…” His tears began falling faster and his breath hitched._

_Connor whined again, this time louder, trying to show his sympathy. He didn’t know what Josh was upset about, but it was upsetting him, as well, and he did not like that. Josh looked back up at him, locking eyes._

_“Joshhh?” Connor said, much effort being put into his word and voice strained._

_“Yeah, man?” He asked in a shaky tone._

_“Josssssssh….” Connor pawed at the glass._

_Juliet moved the microphone to where she could speak. “Do you want to see Josh?”_

_He nodded quickly. “Josssssh!!”_

_Tony and Jay began to argue, but Connor didn’t seem to notice nor care. Eventually, Tony seemed to lose the argument. Jay led Josh out of the room, causing Connor to begin whining. Jay turned to him and smiled, walking back to the microphone._

_“We’ll be right back, Connor. I promise.”_

_He whined again, this time in submission. Jay and Josh left the room, leaving Tony standing in front of the control center. He walked in front of the microphone._

_“If you try anything, that collar you’ve got on will shock you, so don’t even think about it.”_

_Connor hadn’t even noticed the collar. It was just loose enough that it didn’t squeeze his neck, and there was a weird box on the back. He began fiddling with it, trying to look at it. It gave him a small shock, startling him. He yelped and jumped back, looking at Tony pitifully._

_“Don’t give me that look, you knew that would happen.” Tony deadpanned._

_Connor growled in protest, causing Tony to glare at him._

_There was a noise on the wall right of the window, and a door opened. Connor ran back to the corner, tensing his hands and bending over in an athletic stance, ready to fight if he had to. He calmed slightly when he saw it was only Jay and…_

_“Jossh!!” Connor said excitedly, though it was still garbled._

_Josh grinned, and began to move towards him, but Jay held him back, muttering in his ear._

_“Remember, he’s got his claws and those teeth. Be cautious. He’s got a shock collar on, but it may not stop him.”_

_Josh nodded and began slowly approaching Connor. He tried to treat him as the cornered animal he currently was, not the man he had come to know and love. It proved difficult to not rush forward and envelope the broken man, but Josh restrained himself._

_Of all the teens who had been at the cabin that night, Josh had been the one to take Connor’s disappearance in the mines the worst. He had recalled Connor begging him not to do his stupid prank, and talked him out of the bulk of it, but he had still scared all of their friends. And for what? Scaring Hannah and Beth? He wasn’t sure what he had been thinking. He hadn’t expected the wendigos to appear, and it seems Connor didn’t either. He had been taken by a wendigo when he was trying to get himself, Josh, Sam, and Mike out of the mines._

_Juliet had talked to him and explained the real situation to him, which had only worsened things on his end. Apparently Connor had repeated the events of that evening several times, trying desperately to keep everyone in their group alive. He had been so focused on Josh’s prank that he had forgotten about the remaining wendigos on the mountain, and he had forgotten to contact Juliet and tell her to exterminate them. His mistake had resulted in the teens being attacked. Juliet had told Josh about the various horrific ways the eight teens had died. Emily dangling from the fallen radio tower, Matt almost being killed on a meat hook, Jessica’s jaw being ripped off, Sam being stabbed, Chris and Ashley being decapitated, Mike dying in a fire, Josh’s head being crushed. It had been horrific for him to hear, and likely even worse for Connor to experience._

_He had felt even worse when Juliet began to explain that Connor felt things very deeply, and that he cared for them all very dearly. Especially for Josh and his group of friends. He had never had a regular high school life, so when he found Josh and his group, he felt like he had a second family. The group had wormed their way into his heart much quicker than he would have expected. He apparently hadn’t even planned falling for any of them, nonetheless Josh._

_Connor remained in the corner, bracing himself to unsheathe his claws if need be. He wanted to trust this Josh, but he was still scared. What if he wanted to hurt him? Or kill him? He was scared. He had to be prepared._

_Josh made no signs of movement, causing Connor’s sight of him to fade slightly. Only one eye had succumbed to the spirit of the wendigo, meaning he could only see out of that eye if someone was moving. He frowned, trying to see Josh out of both eyes. Jay swayed slightly on the balls of her feet, letting Connor see her clearly. She advised Josh to do the same, and soon Connor could clearly see them both._

_He whined softly, trying to decide what to do. His brows knit together as he thought. They seemed like they wouldn’t move til he did, so it was all up to him. He frowned, still feeling the uncertainty. He decided to trust his instincts._

_“Joosshhh?” He whined, stepping forward slightly._

_“Yeah, baby, it’s Josh…” Josh whispered._

_Connor made another attempt at speech, only to result in his teeth clacking and garbled nonsense. Josh shook his head._

_“God, Connor, I’m so fucking sorry, man… After everything you did for us, you end up like this… It’s just not fair.” Josh said, voice cracking._

_Connor didn’t move any further forward. Jay made to walk toward him, and he hesitantly let her._

_“I’m going to try something, okay Connor?” She said. “I’m going to have to touch you. Will you let me touch you?”_

_He thought for a moment before whining and baring his neck to her, a sign of submission. She knelt down in front of him, placing her fingertips on his temples. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, pouring all of her focus on her fingertips._

_All of a sudden, his head began to pound as information poured into it. He saw flashes of himself doing all sorts of things he didn’t remember doing. Leading an army through Denerim, advising the Inquisition, fighting a thresher maw, fending off the wendigos on the mountain, being advisor to the Inquisition, the experiments performed on him when he was a teenager. He whined in pain, trying to process all of the new information._

_He cried out in pain as the Tesseract unlocked itself. He could hear her yelling out in victory, we’re free! We’re free! His eyes glowed their normal piercing blue, breaking his uneven sight. Juliet held her grasp on his head, forcing the Aeather to unlock his mind. Connor groaned, mind reeling. He could feel his pulse pounding in his skull. The spirit of the wendigo had been purged with the assistance of the exorcisms, but they had still been locked up to protect themselves from the corruption. The Tesseract had also dragged Connor’s soul in with them to protect him, leaving his body a disfigured shell. The spirit had done it, trying to turn at least the body into a wendigo. It failed at transforming him completely upon Juliet’s intervention, thankfully._

_She had seemed regretful to Josh when she had found him in the mines. Josh hadn’t been part of the expedition down into the mines himself. Juliet, on the other hand, had led it, determined to see the retrieval of her closest friend._

_He remembered the sullen look on her face as she wept silent tears._

_“I wasn’t fast enough…” She had repeated in a hushed whisper. It had broken his heart almost as much as when Juliet delivered the dreaded findings to him and his friends._

_After a brief moment, it was done, and Juliet retracted her hands from Connor’s head. She stepped back, taking her place next to Josh as they watched Connor try to process everything. He coughed a couple of times while clutching his aching head before opening his striking eyes and looking Juliet in the eye._

_“I’ve had better greetings…” He muttered, many teeth moving as he spoke. There was a quiet clicking sound as the teeth whacked against each other._

_Josh rushed forward and enveloped Connor in a tight hug, wrapping his arms around Connor’s neck. He laughed apprehensively as he rested his face in the crook of Connor’s neck. Connor’s bony hands were hesitant in returning the gesture, but Josh could feel that Connor was at least trying._

_Josh finally figured out the extent of how bad his partner’s weeks in the mines were upon feeling how small his chest and waist were. He could feel Connor’s ribs perfectly, and his waist was so skinny… Juliet had managed to tube feed him sustenance while he was still unconscious, so some of his weight was returning, but it was still bad._

_According to Juliet, he was even skinnier when they had first fished him out of the mines. His dark skin had been deathly pale, causing the freckles dusting his face and body to stand out even more than they already did. Juliet had forced Josh and the other teens away from the Avengers Tower until he looked at least a bit better, not wanting them to have that horrid image in their minds._

_“You’re alright, thank fucking god…” He sighed in relief as he leaned back and cupped Connor’s non torn cheek._

_Connor moved his head down, refusing to make eye contact with Josh. A shameful look crossed his face as he covered his mangled cheek in his hand. Josh frowned, and tried to move the hand to no avail._

_“Connor, please, look at me…” He muttered sadly, causing Connor to reluctantly look up at him._

_Josh kissed his forehead gently as Connor spoke. “I was already a monster, and now I fuckin look like one, too…”_

_“Hey, no you don’t-“ Josh started, voice soft._

_“Yes, I do, Josh!” Connor snapped. “Fucking look at me! I was growling, clawing at things! I’m a fucking animal! I’ve got so many fucking teeth!!”_

_“True that.” Tony muttered into the microphone, lazing around in the desk chair in the lab, but no one paid him any mind._

_“Connor, have your mutations returned?”Juliet asked. “If so, you should be able to shift to your normal appearance.”_

_“Based on the fact I’ve still got cuts and bruises, Jay, I don’t think so.”_

_“Odd…Perhaps the Tesseract is withholding them until she’s certain the spirit is completely gone?” She suggested, folding her arms in thought._

_“Likely…It’d be bad if anything got ahold of that, nonetheless an evil spirit.”_

_“Baby…” Josh muttered, trying to look into Connor’s eyes._

_Connor still refused to meet Josh’s gaze, choosing to look at the white tiled floor instead._

_Josh gently grabbed Connor’s chin, forcing him to look at him. “Connor, love of my life, I’m not giving up on you because of this. We’ve been together for four years now, do you really think that one incident would make me hate you?”_

_“Josh, I was as good as dead in those mines-“ Connor began, shaking his head in Josh’s grasp._

_“But you’re not dead!” Josh said, trying to get through to him. “You’re right here, and you’re alive, and sure your face is a little fucked up right now but you can fix it when your powers come back! Connor, I love you more than anything, okay? You’ve done so much for us- for me- already. You’re there for me when no one else is; I want to be that for you. I love you.”_

_Tears had begun to prick at Connor’s eyes, and he quickly blinked them away. He looked down again, still ashamed at his mangled appearance. Josh brought him close again, kissing his scarred lips briefly and resting his head on top of Connor’s. Connor’s breathing hitched as he clung onto Josh’s flannel shirt, and he noticed that his sharp teeth were poking into the fabric. Josh rubbed soothing circles on his back like his partner had done for him so many times before._

_“I’m right here, baby… Everything’s alright now…” He muttered as Connor finally let out a choked sob._

  
_It had been two weeks since Connor’s recovery. His powers still hadn’t come back, but he was beginning to adapt. He wore a white surgical mask to hide his face, and only took it off to eat (which he always did in a separate room) and to sleep. Josh had stayed at the Avengers Tower with him, vowing that he wouldn’t leave Connor’s side until he had recovered completely._

_Since his healing factor was temporarily disabled, his cuts and bruises had only just begun to heal. Josh’s had soon after Connor awoke._

_The other Avengers had come through to check up on him, more often than not Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. They had all offered him different things, from Wanda and Pietro offering different snack foods to Natasha offering her sweaters and comfy clothes. Steve had been a companion while Josh was off with the group, talking to Connor about anything and everything that came to mind. Connor told him stories of his adventures, and Steve did the same. The Vision was avoiding him, it seemed, wanting to stay far away from the other two Infinity Stone wielders in the building._

_Currently, Connor was lounging on the couch watching some documentary Steve had left on, wearing a large red t shirt and sweatpants. Josh had left to go get some snacks from the gas station a few blocks away from the Tower, saying he’d be meeting up with Chris there. Connor still wasn’t ready to meet up with anyone, especially not Chris, after what happened in the cabin._

 

_“You left Josh out in that shed alone! What the fuck, Chris?!” Connor screamed, shoving Chris back._

_“What was I supposed to do?! Stay out there with a maniac in the cold while mother fucking wendigos stalk me?!”_

_“So you leave him to DIE?! He’s your best friend, Chris! He’s going to die out there!”_

_Ashley rested a hand on his shoulder. “Connor, please, it’s too late for us to do anyth-”_

_Connor forced her hand off. “Shut it, Ash! You were in on this, too! Don’t play innocent!”_

_Ashley began to cry. “Connor, please, I don’t want you to get hurt-!”_

_“Really?!” He scowled at her, raising his tone further. “You seemed more than happy to let me die earlier!” He yelled, recalling when she begged Chris to save her and kill Josh or Connor when they were bound to the wall with the saw in front of them._

_“I’m sorry!” She cried, voice cracking. “I’m so sorry, Connor!”_

_“Hey man, back off!” Chris said, stepping between the two._

_Connor didn’t hesitate to sock him in the eye, sending him flying back onto Ashley. He grabbed his shirt collar and held him close to his face._

_“Listen here. I’m not gonna let Josh get any more hurt than he already is. You fuckers are the entire reason this happened; you all hurt Hannah and Beth. I’m not gonna let you hurt Josh, too.”_

_He shoved Chris back again and grabbed the pistol that had been left on the counter, charging out and slamming the door behind him._

 

_Connor shuddered at the memory. He didn’t mean to be so rude, to hurt Chris. He was just panicked is all. Josh was out on his own with wendigos prowling the forests. He was panicked… He didn’t mean it…_

_He stopped paying attention to the movie and slipped off his surgical mask, touching his many teeth. He still wasn’t used to it. He didn’t think he ever would be. Josh took every possible moment to remind him that he was still handsome and that he still loved him, but it still hurt to see himself. He looked like the monsters he had been fighting against for so long. And the teeth had proven annoying, always getting caught on everything._

_Connor had begun to have more nervous breakdowns than were common for him. Josh had never seen them before now, as Connor had kept them well hidden, and it was beginning to get to him. Connor was usually so content, so calm; seeing him in such a broken state was nerve wracking. It was also mildly terrifying to see him cry in the first place; the teeth weren’t helping._

_It was good for Josh to get out of the Tower. He had begun to feel cooped up in there. Not that he minded being with Connor in his hour of need, but still. He could only explore so many of the Tower’s floors before he got bored of it. He had been texting the group updates on Connor and his condition, but it wasn’t the same as seeing them._

_Everyone was worried sick about him. He hadn’t reached out to anyone, with the exception of Josh and Hannah. Hannah had also felt guilty that she wasn’t there to help, but Connor assured her that everything was fine. Well, as fine as things could be with him being half wendigo in the meantime. Hannah was one of the only ones he confided in, besides Josh, feeling like she could understand what he was going through. Emily and Jess had finally begun to set aside their differences and make up over what had happened in the past, deciding it would be best for Connor’s sake. All of the girls had been putting together a big surprise for him for the day they would get to see him again._

_Josh and Juliet both had insisted that they take it slow and let him see everyone individually over the course of a week or two before getting everybody together. They didn’t think he would be able to handle seeing everyone all at once. Connor had agreed to that as well, saying that after all of the resets, he just needed some time away from the group. The group had reluctantly agreed, deciding Connor’s mental state was the most important factor to consider here._

_Pulling into the gas station, Josh quickly caught sight of Chris. His swollen eye had healed, and he had a small scar on his cheekbone. It wasn’t even noticeable unless you were looking for it. But other than that, he looked the same as he always did. Josh parked the car and got out, catching Chris’ attention._

_“Hey Cochise!” Josh called out, high fiving Chris. “How’ve you been?”_

_Chris shrugged. “I’ve been better. How’s Connor doing?”_

_“Good, good.” Josh shoved his hands in his pockets. “Finally began walking around the Tower without the mask on. Only takes it off on our floor, though.”_

_“I still can’t believe you’re staying at the Avengers Tower, dude.”_

_Josh chuckled as he pushed open the door to the gas station, and he and Chris made their way to the snack foods. They each grabbed a handful of things and a couple drinks before going up to pay._  
  
_“So I was thinking…” Josh said as they walked out, bags in hand._

_“That’s a first.” Chris chuckled._

_“Shut up. Anyways, I was thinking that maybe you should come see Connor. He could use the company.”_

_Chris hesitated as he got into the passenger’s side of Josh’s car. “I dunno, man… Do you think he’d really want to see me after what happened?”_

_“I think it’d be good for him. I mean, you two were really close before this all happened. Pretty sure he wants his friend back.”_

_Chris sighed. “Yeah, but… “_

_“Listen, Cochise, what happened up at the cabin’s in the past now. I’m back on my meds and with Jay’s help, I’m my old self again. I’ll admit that I kinda deserved what you did up there.”_

_“You deserved to get captured by wendigos?”_

_“No, not that part, jackass.” Josh muttered as he started the car. “I mean, locking me out in the shed. I totally deserved that, and I deserve you guys completely hating me. But, you all forgave me, which I still don’t really get why, but I mean I’m not complaining. What I’m getting at is that I deserved what I got; Connor didn’t. But, we’re working through it. And one of the first steps of that is getting you two to talking again.”_

_Chris thought over what he said as Josh began moving the car. “I mean, I guess you’re right… and it couldn’t hurt me to see him again… I mean, probably not…”_

_“So yes?”_

_Chris sighed. “Fine, yes.”_

_Josh grinned and called up Juliet._

_“Hey, Jay.” He said into the receiver. “… Yeah, I met with Chris. … On my way back. … Yeah, I’m bringing him to talk to Connor. … Connor said himself he wanted to start talking to people again! … Come on, this is good for him. … Uh huh… … Uh huh… … Okay. Okay, we’ll be there soon. … Yeah. … Bye.” He tossed his phone back on the dash._

_“Jay’s cool with it, says Connor’s willing to give it a try.” He said, turning onto the street the Avengers Tower was on._

_“Alright, sweet.” Chris said. He went quiet again._

_The two drove on in silence as Josh pulled into the parking garage, not bothering to let the security guards know it was him. They recognized his license plate and didn’t stop him. He parked next to the elevator, and the two grabbed their bags and went inside. They stood in silence as the elevator made its ascension up. Chris looked out the window, taking in the view of New York City._

_After a minute of two, they arrived on the floor Connor resided in. He was still on the couch, mask on his face and blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He had lost interest in the documentary about ancient Egypt, especially since he had been there himself at one point. His thoughts instead focused on the young Pharaoh that had charmed his heart. The very Pharaoh that, by some strange miracle, had been mummified and brought to New York, along with the magical tablet that brought him to life each night. Connor had yet to visit him, but it seemed to be too late for that now. What with his face being disfigured and all._

_He had also quickly developed external self image problems. They were quite understandable, but he hated them nonetheless. He felt like a monster, and he couldn’t fucking do anything about it. Which was strange for him, seeing as he always could do something about the scenario. Having that power taken away from him was strange. He hated it. He hated no longer holding the perfect control over himself like he had become so used to. He felt petty, unimportant. And, you know, horribly disfigured._

_He yawned as Chris and Josh entered the room, exposing a few teeth through the surgical mask and tearing it. He slipped it off and went to put on another from the box in front of him when he noticed that they had come in. Upon noticing Chris, he scrambled for the mask, putting it on lopsided. He ducked away under the blanket, not wanting to face him with his newly found monstrosity._

_Josh set his bags down on the table and knelt in front of Connor, trying to coax him out while Chris awkwardly stood there and set his bags on a small table behind the leather couch. He watched as Connor reluctantly shrugged off the blanket and stood, quickly hiding behind Josh. He was taller than him, though, so he had to crouch so as not to be seen._

_“Connor?” Chris said tentatively, watching as Connor flinched behind Josh and clung at his flannel shirt._

_Deciding to take a little bit of initiative, Chris held his hand out where Connor could see it. Chris smiled, despite Connor not being able to see him._

_“You just gonna leave me hanging here?” He said after a brief moment._

_Connor hesitated and gently touched Chris’ hand with his palm, flinching slightly when Chris closed his hand around his own. His breath began to hitch as Chris held his hand gingerly._

_“Are you doing okay? We haven’t heard from you since the cabin…” Chris muttered, trying to fill the silence hanging in the air around them._

_Connor didn’t respond, only held Chris’ hand tighter. He was mumbling something, but neither of them could tell what he was saying._

_“I’ll take that as ‘not too well’.”_

_Josh then began to understand what it was Connor was mumbling. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry”, over and over again. Chris walked around Josh and pulled Connor into an awkward side hug._

_“It’s okay, man. I know you didn’t mean it. Besides, look, I’m okay! Ashley’s okay, too. We all are, okay? And we still love and care about you.”_

_Connor hugged him back, letting go of Josh and trying to calm his sobs. Chris held on to him and patted his back, trying to assure him that all was forgiven and that they still loved him._

 

 

Connor shuddered hard as he recalled the previous timeline, not much paying attention as Juliet watched the memory. She was silent, gently cupping Connor’s cheek where it had been torn. He held her hand against his cheek, taking in a shaky breath as tears pricked at his eyes. The memory was painful; he could still feel where the wendigo scarring had been. The usual sparks that occurred when they touched happened, the Infinity Stones briefly tapping into each others’ powers. Juliet’s irises flickered a vibrant red, while Connor’s flickered a radiant blue.   
  
“And I thought I was a monster before…” He whispered, breathing ragged and tears threatening to fall.

“Connor, you weren’t a monster then, and you aren’t one now.” Juliet said in a calm and rather stern tone.

He clutched at his hoodie pockets, trying in vain to keep himself composed. Juliet rubbed gentle circles on his upper back, gently shushing him. Reassuring him, telling him it was alright, that it was all behind him now. Connor choked out a sob, burying his face in his hands. Juliet continued to try and calm him as he began mumbling unintelligibly.

“Here, I can drive the rest of the way. Just tell me the directions, and I’ll get us there.”

Connor nodded and took a couple deep breaths to compose himself. After a moment, he relayed all of the directions to Juliet and unbuckled, getting out of the car and walking around to the passenger’s side. Juliet buckled in and adjusted the seat, starting the car back up and pulling out of the gas station.

The rest of the car ride was met with Juliet forgetting Connor’s directions and having to turn around a couple of times. It did not delay their time, thankfully, and the two did get on the right track.

  
At one point on the car ride, Chris and Sam had called. They had said that they had were going to be late, seeing as Chris had an essay he had to finish before they left and Sam had offered to stay with him. Connor had said that this hadn’t happened before after they hung up. Sam and Chris always arrived first, and the rest of the group followed after. Juliet suspected that it might be her involvement in the new timeline.

They arrived at the base of the mountain just before sunset, parking and grabbing all their stuff as they headed up the mountain together, stopping outside the cable car station. Connor sent Josh a quick text to say they’d arrived there, rapidly getting a response. The two took a moment to lean on the wooden fence and overlook the mountain’s view as they waited for the cable car to come.

Vibrant shades of yellow, orange, and red stretched across the sky. Stars were just beginning to make themselves seen, lightly contrasting against the beautiful colors. The moon was beginning to rise as the sun made its descent. The snow on the mountaintops glimmered brightly against the darkening sky. Juliet sighed in contentment as she took in the gorgeous view.

“Man… Hard to believe something so horrid lives in a place so serene.” She muttered.

“You’re telling me.” Connor said back, noticing the cable car was almost there.

“Sort of reminds me of the sunsets on Thessia…”

Connor chuckled. “Yeah… It really does.”

The two grabbed their things and climbed into the cable car, beginning their ascent up Mount Washington.


	4. Chapter Three: A Surprise for the Unwilling

** Chapter Three: A Surprise for the Unwilling **   
_Gore warning_

 

Connor and Juliet were the first ones to arrive at the cabin. Since Connor had been given a key to the lodge, he had unlocked everything and gotten the heat and power started. The ever so creepy basement had been fun for him to traverse alone, an endless dusty maze filled with a random assortment of items. He had found a baseball bat near the jump box, which he hid behind a set of pipes for possible future use. Never know when you need to whack someone with a baseball bat. He had also come across a storeroom filled to the brim with various costumes and movie props, as one would expect from a movie producer owning the place.

The only light in the basement was small sections of moonlight pooling in from the small windows near the top edge of the walls. His footsteps echoed on the concrete floor, adding to the creepy atmosphere of the dark basement. Connor had been on high guard the entire time he was down there, claws at the ready.

He had frozen in place when he heard the first shriek of a wendigo in the distance. It was faint, but he still heard it. They were early. Though, they were far enough away that they couldn’t get to the cabin quite yet. He hoped. It seemed to be coming from the sanatorium, where all of the wendigos were locked in cages.

“Damn it, was hoping I could have more time. Oh well.” He muttered to himself as he flipped on the power and began fiddling with the water boiler. He didn’t notice where he was reaching his hand and got shocked by one of the broken wires.

“Ow, fuck!” He cursed, holding his burnt hand and shaking it to cool it down.

He bit back any other sign of pain as he took a deep breath. He was sick and tired of doing this, repeating this night over and over again. The same exact exchanges of dialogue, the exact same events, the exact same attacks. He was honestly beginning to grow bored with it all, and was somewhat tempted to just leave them to their fates and move on, but he was determined to save his friends. He cared too much about them to just leave them to die. He internally cursed himself for getting so attached to this group of teenagers. He hated himself for dragging them into this insanity. Though, for once, it wasn’t his fault that they were getting hurt. He knew they all would have died anyways if he hadn’t have intervened. He was their only chance at surviving until dawn.

He subconsciously began to rub at the spot on his left shoulder that the wendigo Josh had torn from his flesh. The scar tissue that had formed over the wound felt rough under his fingertips. It was the largest scar he had ever received, if you don’t count missing appendages. And to have gotten it from someone he cared so deeply about…

Connor shook his head, finishing with the boiler before he stormed out of the basement, eager to get out of there.

“It’s so fucking creepy down there!” Connor called out as he came back upstairs, slamming the door behind him.

“I didn’t expect you to be one for getting the jitters over a basement.” Juliet said in a mocking tone, leaning over the bannister of the second level of the cabin.

“Shut it, Blackbird.” He cracked his knuckles as he walked into the kitchen.

“It’s nice to finally get the heat on.” Juliet said as she turned and walked back into the room she had claimed for the weekend.

She had been unpacking a change of clothes when she heard the front door open.

“Connor?” Hannah’s voice called out. “We’re here!”

Connor emerged from the kitchen, a mug of hot coffee in hand. He set it down and enveloped Hannah in a big hug, and brought Beth into it when she came into the cabin. The two began thanking him for turning on the heat, “It was freezing out there!”

“It’s a mountain, Beth. In November.” Connor deadpanned. “If it wasn’t cold, then that would be a problem.”

Hannah giggled as Beth flushed slightly, dragging in her duffle bag and setting it next to the couch as she took off her coat. Hannah went back outside to grab her own things, passing Josh as he came in. He set his backpack and duffle bag down near the couch, quickly turning to envelop Connor in a hug. Connor flinched, but swiftly hid it, chuckled and hugged back, pressing a kiss to Josh’s head.

“ _Buenas noches, amigo_.” Connor muttered as Josh squeezed him.

“Hey there, sexy.”

Connor raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Really now? I thought we weren’t doing names like that in public.” He said in an amused tone.

“It’s the cabin. Everyone knows about us here.” He murmured into Connor’s chest, holding him close. He smiled when he felt the vibrations of Connor’s chuckle.

“I’ll give you that.” Connor hugged back and pressed a kiss to his forehead before letting him go, going outside to help Hannah and Beth bring up the food they had brought from the cable car.

Juliet quickly changed into an oversized grey sweatshirt, presumably Connor’s, and a pair of black leggings before coming downstairs and giving Josh a hug, exclaiming about how exciting it was for her to be here. Josh hugged her back with equal force. It had been quite a long time since the two had last seen each other, due to Juliet usually being busy with one thing or another. When questioned about it, Juliet replied that this was a special occasion, and she wouldn’t miss it for the world. It was their annual winter getaway, after all. Josh noticed she had said that a little too quickly, but he did not question it.

“Anyone else here yet?” She asked, peeking over his shoulder and out the door.

“Not yet. I think Em and Matt were almost here, and Chris and Sam should be arriving late. Uhh… Ashley was riding with Mike and Jess… I think they were on their way…” Josh nodded. “So basically, I have no idea.”

Juliet laughed. “As per usual, I see.”

Josh mocked being hurt as Juliet took the bags that Connor had brought in and carried them into the kitchen. Josh followed her in and began helping her unpack everything.

“Glad you and Connor got the power on without getting electrocuted.”

“Oh, I didn’t. He did. A couple of times, I believe.” She said offhandedly, seemingly unconcerned.

Josh chuckled. “That explains all the static electricity on him.”

“I’m certain you all appreciate the heat, too. We wouldn’t have minded having it ourselves when we first got here, but oh well.” She shrugged as she filled the fridge with the more perishable foods and drinks.

Josh had noticed a stange sense of tension looming around Juliet and Connor since he had walked in the door, and it was starting to bother him. He watched her as she grabbed the last things within her bags and put them away, trying to see if he could figure out what was going on.

_‘Oh, dear.’_ Juliet thought. _‘Sweet thing is trying to figure things out. Poor kid has no idea what’s in store… Then again. Neither do I. And it’s starting to bug me…’_

In a time that had not yet happened to the world they currently lived in, Juliet had bestowed the Tesseract to Connor, and with it, her soul. Not knowing that doing so would strip her of her powers, leaving her only with the abilities of the Aeather when she was made human again. Connor and the Stone had in turn kept the power and control over time to themselves, granting her only the ability to travel with them across time. And so they did, travelling across time and space together, seeing all of history.

Juliet’s expression hardened slightly when she recalled what had happened in Egypt. It had been her idea to visit that time; she was friends with Merenkahre and Shepseheret, after all. It had been her encouragement that led to Connor and the Fourth King’s relationship. It had been her blindness that led to the Pharaoh’s death at his brother’s hands. If she had only intervened when she could have…

Her thoughts shifted to what had happened in the car. Connor’s memories of the damned timelines he had lived though. In truth, she had pried more into it than she had let on. She had seen every timeline, from the first where everyone died and Josh became a wendigo, to each teen’s various causes of death, to Connor’s reluctant turning to a wendigo himself. She had noticed very faint scars on his cheeks where his face had been torn, and it looked like he was having difficulty hiding them. That explained why he had been covering his face so much.

She slightly flinched upon remembering the first timeline. Everyone had been killed except him and Josh, and Josh had been dragged back into the mines by Hannah, who had been turned into a wendigo the previous year. At that point, she and Connor had not known to intervene with the prank and stop Hannah and Beth’s fall from the cliff. A week after he had been rescued by the police, he returned to the mines with a few officers to find Josh, but it had been too late. He had been partially turned into a wendigo, losing his humanity and his face being disfigured much like Connor’s had been. He swiftly murdered the rangers and attacked Connor, taking a rather hefty bite out of Connor’s left shoulder and leaving a deep scar. Connor had not shown it to anyone, but Juliet knew it was there. Occasionally throughout the car ride. she would notice it peeking out of Connor’s shirt, despite his efforts to hide it. Connor had been forced to fight back against the wendigo Josh, and eventually had to gun him down. However, before he pulled the trigger, Josh came to his senses.

He had called out Connor’s name just before the bullet entered his skull.

Connor had collapsed on the ground next to Josh’s body, cradling him close and sobbing. He vowed then and there that he would not allow this to happen. That he would save them all no matter how many times it took, no matter what the cost. He hadn’t known then that he was sacrificing his sanity to do so.

Thankfully, Josh and his sisters had not yet noticed the scars. It seems Connor could hide them from everyone except her, which she was fine with for the moment. After all, she was the only one who knew where to look for the scars. She wasn’t exactly certain if he ever planned on telling them anything about repeating the night. It certainly didn’t seem like it...

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Josh waving a hand in front of her face. She jumped slightly, startled by the sudden movement.   
  
“I’m sorry, what?” She asked as she turned around to face Josh.

“I was trying to ask what was going on with you two.” He asked, reaching behind her and opening a bottle of some alcoholic drink he had brought. “You’ve both been acting weird all day. What’s going on?”

Juliet shrugged. “Hmm. Nothing, really. I’ve just been lost in thought all day. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, and I’m worn out from the long car ride.”

Josh nodded and took a swig from his drink. “I get the feel. Been kinda spacey all day.”

She nodded, telling him she was going back out to help Hannah and Beth before leaving him alone in the kitchen.

Josh frowned as she left. He hadn’t known her near as long as he had Connor, but he knew her well enough to know she was hiding something. He felt like Connor was, as well. The two weren’t near as talkative as usual, which bothered him. Usually, when those two were in a room together, they’d never shut up, constantly making quick witted and scathing remarks at each other without stop. The odd silence surrounding them stood out to him. He had also noticed when Connor flinched earlier, when he hugged him. It was extremely out of character for him, and it only worsened Josh’s suspicions.

He sighed, deciding to just let whatever happens, happen. If they had something to tell him, they would. They always did. Even if it took a bit of time.

As soon as Juliet walked into the spacious living room, the front door flew open again, and Emily and Matt walked in. She grinned and went to hug Emily after she put down her bags. Emily was more than happy to return the gesture, as was Matt when a hug was offered to him.

“Hey, you two!” Juliet greeted with a smile still on her face. “It’s good to see you again. You need help with anything?”

“No, we got everything. Thanks, though.” Matt said as he brought his and Emily’s things up the stairs to their respective rooms.

Emily and Juliet took a seat on the couch, talking about whatever came to mind and catching up, seeing as they hadn’t seen each other in at least a month. When Matt came back downstairs, he decided not to interrupt them, choosing instead to chat with Josh. Hannah, Beth, and Connor were still nowhere to be found, and were presumably upstairs talking about what the twins had in store for the weekend. They had been talking Josh’s ears off about it all week.

Not long after, Ashley, Jess, and Mike joined the group at the cabin, excited to see everyone and talking up a storm. It took another half hour for Sam and Chris to arrive, and they both apologized profusely when they came in. No one really seemed to care about the fact they were late. All that mattered to them was the fact they were on the mountain together once again, all looking forward to the weekend of fun they had planned.

Connor had been gone for quite awhile, and it concerned Juliet and Josh when Hannah and Beth came down without him. Glancing at the clock, Juliet noticed it was near midnight, which was around the time that everything went to chaos in the previous timelines. She tensed and took a long swig from the glass of whiskey that Chris had brought, trying to use her telepathy to locate where Connor was. She couldn’t sense anything. She was anxious, to say the least. It had been an hour. Where was he?

  
A noise was heard outside the cabin, causing everyone to pause for a moment. It sounded like branches breaking, almost like someone was dragging something across the ground.

“... did you guys hear that?” Jess asked, grabbing onto Mike’s hand in fear.

“Yeah…” Chris muttered, looking out the window.

Juliet set her glass down and stood, moving to the window to get a good look out into the wilderness. Little wind was blowing, so the trees weren’t rustling too terribly much. Looking closely, she could see footprints in the snow trailing away from the cabin, different from the ones that the group had made coming to the cabin.

“Has anyone seen Connor?” Emily asked, only now realizing she hadn’t seen him all night.

“He was here earlier. Last I saw he went out to help Hannah and Beth bring things in.” Josh said, looking to his sisters for an answer.

“He came and asked us if we needed help, but we had already brought everything in. We went inside after that.” Hannah said.

“I don’t know if he followed us back in, though…” Beth muttered, a horrified expression on her face.

Juliet’s eyes widened as she turned around. “I’m… I’m not certain he ever came back in…” She whispered.

Ashley and Chris glanced at each other, and Jess squeezed Mike’s hand. A dreaded feeling of anxiety washed over the group as they glanced at each other, each looking for some sort of explanation about where Connor was. Juliet walked over to the door, slipped on her snow boots, and put on her coat.

“Where are you going?” Mike asked.

“I’m going to go find Connor.” She said in a serious tone. “Anyone who wishes to join me is welcome.”

“I think we should look around the lodge first. I mean, he could be in here.” Emily suggested, standing up from her spot on the couch.

“Maybe we should split up.” Ashley suggested.

“Juliet and I can follow the footprints outside, Josh and Ashley can look around the cabin, Sam, Hannah, and Mike in the basement, and Em, Jess, and Matt check outside. Beth, stay put to see if he comes back. That sound good?” Chris said, standing near the doorway with Juliet.

Everyone nodded before going off to search for Connor. Juliet and Chris were quick to get out the door and follow the footprints, and Emily, Jess, and Matt followed them outside, choosing to stay close to the outside of the cabin. The two had found a trail in the snow; footprints following one long trail. Chris looked around the ground, trying to find some sort of evidence as to where his friend was.

A small glint caught his eye, and upon investigating, he found that it was Connor’s dog tags. Panic and adrenaline flowed through him as he held them up where Juliet could see. Her hands quickly covered her mouth and her eyes widened.

“He never takes those off… Fuck!” She ripped them out of Chris’ hand and shoved them in her pocket, chasing after the footprints with Chris trailing close behind.

A shed came into view before both suddenly felt a sharp pain on the back of their heads and they froze, clutching their now aching heads as chloroform was placed over their faces, knocking them out cold.

 

 

  
Josh and Ashley had completed at least five thorough rounds of searching in the cabin before they stopped. Josh was out of breath, tired of walking from room to room and calling out Connor’s name. The two walked back to the living room where they had left Beth to tell her of their findings. However, when they returned, she was not there.

Panic and anxiety washed over the two as they frantically searched the main level of the cabin for Josh’s sister. Josh let out a panicked whine as they returned to the living room, and Ashley soon gave one of her own. They called out her name one last time before deciding to go find Juliet and Chris, seeing as they might have been onto something with the footprints. They would find Beth later, they supposed.

It did not take them very long to reach where Chris and Juliet had stopped. They noticed the glint of Chris’ phone, which he had lost in his struggle. The screen had been cracked. Ashley grabbed it and shoved it in her jacket pocket. There were many footprints clustered around where the items had been dropped, and there were long trails in the snow where something large had been dragged. Or… two somethings…

Josh and Ashley exchanged a quick glance of panic as they dashed forward, following the trails and not noticing that a smaller one broke off at one point.

“Chris?! Juliet?!” Ashley called out, cupping her hands around her mouth in a makeshift megaphone.

They quickly came to a large shed where they could hear Chris crying out for help on the inside. They made their way in quickly, tripping over a few rusty instruments of torture on the ground.

“Oh god, someone help! Get us out of here! Please!” Chris cried out from within the shed.

“Chris?!” Ashley called out. “Where are you?!”

  
“Please, god, you have to get me out of here!” His voice was strained. “Please, before he comes back!”

“We-we’re coming, Chris. Just keep talking to us. What happened?”

“They came at us from behind… Hit us on the head and drugged us… He tied me up. I can’t move!” His voice became increasingly frightened the more he spoke.

“Just hold on, bro! We’ll get you out of here!” Josh said, trying to reassure his friend.

“Please, Josh, I’m so scared! You have to get me out of here!”

The two panicked teens came into a room deep in the shed, one that Josh distinctly remembered not being there before. There was a large panel of glass preventing them from reaching their friends, and there was some sort of lever in front of the glass. Chris and Connor were both being suspended on a panel of wood, hands being held above their heads. They hung limply from where their hands were tied. Connor was still out cold, and Ashley noticed a large bruise on his forehead. Blood dribbled from both his mouth and Chris’. Chris’ glasses had been cracked, and they hung loosely on his face. Chris’ lip had also been split.

“Hello, Joshua.” A distorted voice said eerily calmly through a speaker on the ceiling, causing Chris to yelp in fear. “Ashley. Today, we’re going to conduct an experiment; a sort of test.”

Connor groaned and opened his eyes, scrunching his brows together as his eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light. His eyes widened upon realizing what was happening, and he began struggling against his restraints.

“What-what’s happening? What’s going on?!” He said as he struggled.

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god! What’s happening, Josh?!” Ashley cried, trembling in her place.

“I-I don’t know!” Josh muttered.

“We will need the cooperation of our two test subjects... Christopher, and Connor... as well as a volunteer to help decide how this will go.” The voice said, switching on a light to reveal a saw positioned in the middle of the two teens.

“Lemme out of here, you maniac!” Connor yelled at the voice.

“See that lever in front of you?”

Josh nodded hesitantly, shifting his gaze down to the rusty lever.

“One of you will use it to decide which one of your friends lives, and which one dies.”

Ashley had begun to panic further, as had Josh. He repeatedly muttered “No, no!” as he frantically searched for a way out of this. Tears began streaming down Ashley’s face as she began to scream at the voice. The saw whirred to life, startling everyone. Chris yelped again, pulling at the rope around his wrists in an attempt to free himself.

“Why are you doing this?!” She cried as she banged her fists against the glass. “Oh, god... Please, no…!”

“Please, Josh, you have to get us out of here!” Chris cried, struggling to break free.

Connor grunted as he thrashed around, fighting with the rope around his wrists, and he was clearly anxious, taking shallow and quick breaths as he pulled at the rope around his wrists. Ashley then noticed that Juliet was nowhere to be seen. Frantically looking around in the room Chris and Connor were trapped in, she saw no sign of the Asian American woman. She forced her focus to go back to Connor and Chris, trying not to let her mind wander as to where Juliet was.

The voice continued. “You’ll find a lever in front of you. You must move it towards who you will not save.”

Another light flickered on. One the left side, there was a picture of Chris, and the other side had a picture of Connor. Both looked reasonably happy in their pictures, starkly contrasting the expressions of horror and panic that they currently wore. The pictures were both from their college campus, and Josh could see himself in the corner of Chris’ photo. Josh began to cry, shaking his head.

“No, no I’m not doing this!” He screamed, bringing his hands to his temple. “Why would you do this?!”

“Your best friend, or the love of your life. Who will you spare?” The voice said in a calm, yet mocking tone.

Connor had begun to feel tears prick at his eyes, but he blinked them away forcibly, trying to stay strong for his friends. They needed him to be strong, to be brave and get them out of this. His wrists began to bleed because of the strain his restraints caused him. He ignored the awkward feeling of the blood dripping down his forearms.

“Oh, no! Oh my god, Josh, we need to get them out of there!” Ashley yelled, turning to look at Josh with a panicked expression.

“Josh!” Connor cried, catching his attention. “Josh, baby, I need you to trust me, okay?”

“I trust you, Connor.” He said quickly, pressing up against the glass.

“Save Chris! Kill me and save Chris!”

“What?!” Josh yelled, baffled. “I-I can’t kill you! I love you!”

“Please! Save Chris, okay?! I’ll be alright! Just save Chris!” Connor pleaded, voice cracking on the last word.

Chris shook his head. “No no, save Connor! You can always get another friend, but Connor makes you so happy! He’s the love of your life, for fucks sake! Save him and live a life together!”

Connor protested, voice breaking. “Josh, please! Just save Chris and get out of here! Find Juliet and _get out of here_!”

Josh hesitated as he looked at the two of them. Ashley was in hysterics, still trying to break the glass. She couldn’t make this choice. She wouldn’t think rationally, and would immediately save Chris. She liked him, after all. It was all up to Josh. He reached out for the lever, then retracted his hand. His mind was racing, considering all of the possible outcomes of this.

“I-I can’t do this! You both mean so much to me; I can’t choose between you!” He said, voice trembling.

“Please, Josh! Save Chris!” Connor’s expression was pained.

“No, save Connor!” Chris insisted, shaking as he realized exactly what he was saying. He was setting himself up for a death sentence, but he would do anything to ensure Josh’s happiness. Connor was his world, Josh should save him and let Chris… die.

Josh was reeling, shaking his head. Ashley was little help, sobbing and praying to a god that wouldn’t help them. He looked at Chris, then Connor, and then he knew his mind was made up.

“Fuck, Connor, I’m sorry…” He said, voice breaking as he turned the lever to the right. “I’m so fucking sorry…!”

Chris began crying, turning his head to the side so he wouldn’t have to watch. “God, Connor, no!” He yelled over his sobs.

Ashley’s cries got louder as the saw began moving towards Connor. Tears began streaming down Josh’s face as he watched in horror, unable to turn his head away. Chris shrieked as he saw the saw begin to move towards them.

“Oh god, Josh, please tell me he’s gonna be okay!” Ashley choked out, clinging onto his side. “Oh my god… Connor!”

Connor’s breaths became quicker as the saw approached, and he stared down at the saw. He tore his gaze away and looked Josh in the eye. It was then he noticed that they were an oddly familiar shade of jade. He smiled bitterly.

“Josh, I want you to know that no matter what, I love you. Don’t doubt it.” He said, grinning to try and assure Josh. It didn’t seem to work, causing Connor’s forced smile to waver.

“I- I love you, too.” Josh choked out, watching in horror as the saw inched closer and closer.

Connor began to panic again, trying one last time to tear his restraints. He began crying out, desperate to get away.

“Oh god, CONNOR!!” Ashley cried out.  
  
“Fuck, WHAT DID I DO!?” Connor screamed to the voice as the saw began to get close. “WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!”

“CONNOR, OH MY GOD!” Ashley screamed, continuing to hit the glass. “NO!”

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!” Josh yelled out as the saw began to cut into Connor’s clothes.

“THIS IS MADNESS! PLEASE!!” Chris cried, his voice cracking.

Connor screamed as the saw cut straight through him, blood splattering on the saw and Chris. Sharp pain on his waist caused him to flinch, trying in vain to move out of the saw’s path. Josh and Ashley screamed with him, horrified to see their friend being killed so brutally. They were helpless as he was, forced to watch this trauma unfold before them. Connor’s organs were sliced in uneven halves and spilled out, causing Ashley to finally tear her gaze away and hide herself in Josh’s flannel, clinging onto his arm. She could feel herself throw up in her mouth, but she managed to keep it in. Josh, however, could not look away. Adrenaline and guilt washed over him, knowing that it was him who made this choice. It was he who killed Connor.

Connor’s face strained in pain as he bit into his lip to the point it began bleeding, trying to keep from screaming any more. He didn’t want to give this maniac any more satisfaction from this twisted game.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” The voice said before disappearing.

Connor cried out one last time as the saw tore through him, severing his spine and rendering him immobile. The bottom half of his waist and his legs fell limply to the ground, along with a shower of blood, his severed intestines, and various pieces of sliced organs. He took in a few shaky breaths before he spoke.

“Let the games begin…” He murmured, quiet enough that it could not be heard over the roar of the running saw.

Chris screamed, not noticing the door being flung open and Ashley and Josh running in. The saw was still running, though it was sawing into the wood behind Connor’s now limp body. It did not move forward or backward, but it kept running. They quickly tore at Chris’ restraints and lowered him down, hearing him cry out at the sight of Connor’s body. It moved slightly with the saw, shaking his head slightly from side to side. The trio glanced at Connor one last time before running out of the shed and into the cold air.

Snow had begun to fall outside, pelting the mortified teens as they stumbled out of the shed. Ashley looked back then clutched onto Josh and Chris. Chris was drenched in Connor’s blood, and it was getting on the other two as they ran from the shed. They instinctively ran back to the cabin, anxious to see what this psychopath had in store for them.

 

 

 

 

When she awoke, Juliet’s head hurt like all hell.

She also noticed she was blindfolded.

And strapped to a chair.

She was not exactly pleased.

Juliet was angry, to say the least, when she realized what had happened. Stryker’s men had gotten here before S.H.I.E.L.D. could, and had managed to stay under their noses. Somehow. A blindfold had been tied tightly around her head, causing a dull pain on the side of her head. Her wrists and ankles were tied down tightly with rope, and she noted that she was on a metal chair. Duct tape covered her mouth, preventing her from crying out. She was helpless, and she fucking hated it.

Her boots had been removed, which was strange to her. Why bother taking her shoes off? Her phone was also gone, though that made more sense. However, her kidnappers didn’t seem to know to take her earrings. S.H.I.E.L.D. has some good things about it. Like GPS trackers in earrings. It was the little things that made life worth living, after all.

She heard a door open and footsteps as someone entered the room. Based on what she heard, there was only one person coming in. She straightened her back as the person came closer.

“Hello, little bird.” She cringed slightly at the name. The voice was eerily familiar. “Now now, no need to be afraid. I’m just here to chat, after all.”

The figure came closer to her, tearing the blindfold off harshly. She shut her eyes quickly, the bright light of the room harsh on her eyes. She blinked a few times to adjust her sight, and when she fully opened them, she stared her kidnapper dead in the eye. It was exactly who she thought it would be.

William Stryker.

He stood in front of her with a sickening grin on his face. In his hands, he fiddled with a small, silver object. It did not take Juliet long to figure out what they were.

Stryker followed her line of sight to the object in his hands and he held it in front of her tauntingly.   
  
“Oh, you want these?” He dangled Connor’s dog tags in front of her. “Why? They aren’t even yours, Thief. Or is it you wish to steal them, like you did my precious experiments?”

‘I rescued the mutants you were testing on, you sick bastard!’ She thought to herself.

“But of course, that’s not why we call you Thief, is it?” Stryker glared at her, tilting his head to the side slightly. “No, you’re the little bitch that kept stealing powers. Because that’s what you do, isn’t it? Steal what little others have to make yourself more powerful.”

He grabbed her jaw forcibly with his right hand, pulling the dog tags out of Juliet’s sight. “All you do is take and destroy. Claim to love them then tear their lives apart. Salvage whatever you can from the ruins. Well guess what? It’s time for you to feel the same pain we’ve all felt because of you. Your precious Connor and his little friends won’t survive until dawn. I promise you that.”

Stryker let go of her face, seeing the confusion and fear in her eyes. “It will be fun to see them all run around and panic.”

She began talking against the duct tape on her mouth, trying in vain to express the rage she felt towards the sick, twisted man in front of her. He only chuckled in response.

“I’m afraid the bird’s song has been silenced. So tragic.” He said in a mocking tone.

Something vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled out his phone, checking the message that had just come in. He chuckled, typing out a response and putting the phone back in his pocket. He looked at Juliet again, grinning wickedly.

“It seems the fun has just begun.” He said, leaving the room as a projector lowered from the ceiling. She then noticed her shoes in the corner next to the door. Nice to know. A screen lowered as well, and it illuminated with the projector’s light as a video began to play. The room’s lights flickered off, causing anxiety to build in Juliet’s chest.

The video started with a dark room. She couldn’t tell what all was in it, but she could make out the glint of metal in the middle of the screen towards the bottom. A light flickered on suddenly, illuminating the room. She could see Chris and Connor being suspended on a wooden wall with rope around their wrists. Both were knocked out cold. Wait, Chris is waking up…

Juliet watched in horror as the events of the shed were relayed to her. Chris and Ashley’s cries were absolutely heart shattering, and Josh’s were even worse. Not long after they entered the shed, another camera angle was brought into view, showing Juliet everything. Every single tear shed by the teens in the shed, every moment of hesitation, every scream. Her own tears didn’t begin to fall until she heard Connor say to find her and that everything will be okay. Her cries of agony were muffled by the duct tape over her mouth.

She watched in unadulterated horror as the saw began to cut through Connor, through the person she had fought so hard to build up and protect. He screamed in agony, Josh screamed, Ashley and Chris screamed, everyone screamed. Blood splattered everywhere in the video. Juliet hunched over as her breathing hitched and she quietly sobbed in the metal chair, unable to hear Stryker’s maniacal laughter over her sobs and the video.


	5. Chapter Four: Hook, Line, and Sinker

**Chapter Four: Hook, Line, and Sinker**

 

Emily, Jessica, and Matt had had little luck looking for Connor. There was next to nothing telling them where he had gone aside from the footprints Juliet and Chris had followed. They had found a few bullet casings on the ground near the back entrance to the cabin, and they were fresh, seeing as they had not been covered in snow. Matt had picked them up and put them in his pocket, deciding to ask Josh about them when everyone regrouped.

Jessica had begun to complain about the cold, so they had gone in after three walks around the cabin. The trio sat in silence in the living room, waiting to hear from anyone else. While Beth’s absence was worrying, they figured she must have gone off with Hannah or Josh. She was rather restless, so it made sense. Matt was bouncing his leg, the anticipation and anxiety in the air finally getting to him. Emily jumped slightly when she heard rapidly approaching footsteps and the front door fly open.

Her jaw dropped and she covered her mouth with her hands when she saw Chris, Josh, and Ashley huddled together, all covered in blood. It was almost dripping from Chris. She then noticed that he had a large bruise above his left eye with a bit of dried blood dribbling down from it and from his chin. His lip was busted as well. Ashley did not seem to be injured, but the blood covering Chris had gotten on her face and clothes. She and Chris were trembling, clearly frightened from whatever they had seen.

Josh was the worst of the trio. His eyes were wide and glossed over, and he was shaking violently. Trauma was clear on his face. Empty tears were sliding down his cheeks at a rapid rate, and his breath was hitching. His skin was extremely pale, contrasting the fresh blood on his face and shirt drastically.He seemed shaken to the core by whatever had happened to them. Jessica sprung up from her spot on the couch to take Ashley from Chris’ arms and set her down where she had previously been seated.

“Oh my god, what happened?! Whose blood is this?!” Matt asked quickly, also jumping up to come to Josh’s side.   
  
Ashley began sobbing again, clinging onto Jess. Jess rubbed her shoulders comfortingly, a concerned look on her features as she scanned Ashley for injuries. She didn’t say anything about the blood that was now on her and the couch.

“Oh my god…! Connor… and- and Chris,... th-the saw… made us CHOOSE…!!” Her words were drowned in her cries.

“Wait, what?! What about Connor, and a SAW?!” Emily questioned.

“This- this maniac…! He knocked Juliet and I out and- and took her and tied me up… they got Connor, too…! Tied us to a wall… there was this- this saw… That fucking psycho made us kill Connor!! Oh god, oh god he’s dead because of us!!” Chris stuttered out, being reduced to hysterics by the end of his sentence. He held his face in his hands and leaned over, shoulders tense and shaking. “Oh god, I killed him! It was all my fault, I should have been the one to die!”

Josh clutched his head in his hands, muttering to himself repeatedly, “This isn’t real, none of this is real, please tell me it isn’t real”. Emily patted his pack gently to try and give him what comfort she could.

“So, wait… Connor’s…” Jess whispered the last word. “...dead?”

Chris and Ashley’s cries worsened with the word, answering Jess’s question. Tears pricked at her eyes as well as the reality set in.

“Oh… oh my god…” She breathed, bringing Ashley into a tight hug.

Matt and Emily were shaken as well, though they managed to contain it, just barely. For Josh’s sake. Still, the news was more than shocking to them. Connor… a friend they had held dear for so long, someone who had always put his own needs aside for everyone, dead… It did not seem real. None of this did.

“I’m… I’m so sorry… Oh my god…” Emily muttered, covering her mouth with her hand. “I don’t know what to say…”

Matt got up and enveloped Josh in an awkward side hug, not caring about the blood now on his letterman jacket. It would come out in the wash, after all. Or, in a couple of washes. Josh broke down with the gesture, letting out agonized cries as he clung onto Matt. He kept trying to tell himself that it wasn’t real, that Connor was fine. But he just could not believe it. He refused to believe it. It was heartbreaking to everyone else, but they could do next to nothing to help him. Matt patted his back and rubbed soothing circles, trying to calm Josh in whatever way he could.

They remained that way for the next few minutes, with the only sounds being the sobbing of the traumatized teens. The gathered teens almost didn’t notice when Hannah, Sam, and Mike came up from the basement.

They had found nothing in the basement telling them the location of their missing friends. However, they had found some interesting pieces of evidence as to what was going on. All hopes they had because of the evidence were wiped clean away when they came upstairs to see Josh’s agony. Hannah dropped the photographs in her hand and rushed to her older brother’s side, loudly questioning what had happened, where Beth was, why they were all covered in blood. Josh could only sob into his sister’s shoulder, clinging onto her harder than he had Matt. Emily and him filled in the teens as to what had happened. Sam and Mike looked at each other in horror, and Hannah only held onto her brother tighter.

Regret washed over Mike as the reality of their situation set in. Connor, who had been one of his best friends for six year, was dead. And there was nothing he could have done to help him. Maybe if he had been faster, if he had gone with Chris and Juliet, then maybe Connor would still be alive. He didn’t want to accept that he was gone.

Mike swallowed his sense of mourning as he picked up the photographs they had found in the basement that Hannah had dropped, and he cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention.

“When we were looking around downstairs, we found these. We aren’t sure why they were there, but still…” He held out the photos for everyone to see in order of the date on the bottom right corner of the picture.

The first was of a laboratory, dated June 14, 1989. A female figure was bound in a full body straight jacket and strapped to a metal table, and there were all sorts of tubes coming out of her arms and torso. The tubes seemed to be filled with a glimmering metal. Her dark hair, which had been cut very choppily, splayed out from under her head. Her bangs were almost covering her eyes. Her eyes were a deadly, almost neon yellow and they glared directly into the camera, boring into the eyes of those looking at the picture. She was seething with rage at whoever was holding the camera.

The second had a label on the back. ‘24604 Results’. It was an X-Ray of a smaller framed person, and their skeleton seemed to be coated in the strange, glimmering metal that was in the tubes. In the corner of the X-Ray was the name ‘DRAECANE, JULIET’. It also read ‘RESULT: SUCCESS.’

The third was dated September 6, 1990. There were claw marks all over the walls of the laboratory. Equipment was destroyed, and there were blood stains on the walls. The fourth and fifth pictures were different angles of the same scene, each more gruesome than the last. They were all labelled ‘24604 Escape’.

After all of the photos had been shown, Sam pulled out a letter from her jacket pocket. The envelope had been addressed to “Stryker, William”. After getting the okay from everyone, she began to read it aloud.

“ _Stryker._

_We know what you’ve done. And we will not allow you to continue these unethical experiments._

_The X Men are coming for you. We will not stand by idly while you continue to target mutants with the healing factor and torture them mercilessly. I swear on my life that if you touch Juliet ever again, we will come for you._

_We are watching._

_-Ororo Munroe._ ”

Sam’s voice trembled slightly as she finished reading. Silence filled the room as everyone tried to put the pieces together.

“Wait…” Matt said, breaking the silence. “Who is Stryker? And why did the X Men contact him about Juliet?”

  
“Juliet’s a mutant?” Hannah asked.

“And what did this Stryker guy do? Did he like, hurt Juliet? Or at least try to?” Jess asked.

“Clearly, there’s something else going on here…” Sam said uneasily, not liking this scenario.

“What did he do to them?” Josh asked quietly.

“The letter mentioned torture… What have they been keeping from us?” Mike asked, setting the pictures on the coffee table and crossing his arms.

Chris sniffed, still trying to calm down from the events of the shed. He took a deep breath before speaking.

“I mean…” He said. “I’m not sure they’d really WANT to talk about being tortured…”

“What about the dates of those pictures?” Emily questioned. “The oldest one was 1989. That’s like, thirty years ago.”

“What about the dates?” Jess asked, not following Emily’s train of thought.

“Why does the woman in that picture remind me so much of Juliet?” She pointed at the picture’s eyes. “I mean, tell me you’ve seen that eye color anywhere else. That has to be Juliet, right? And the name on the X-Ray-”

They were interrupted by a shriek and a crash sounding from the basement. They all sprang to their feet and dashed downstairs, thinking that the scream sounded distinctly like Beth.

 

 

  
  
Juliet was rather surprised when she heard the door open again. The video had ended a while ago, ending on the image of blood on the wall with the edge of Connor’s flannel visible. She had looked away after the video ended, and her tears had dried not long ago. When the metal door opened and a small form, seemingly battered and bruised, was thrown into the room. The lights were turned on very suddenly, causing Juliet to blink to adjust to the sudden brightness. Once she had, she looked at the figure, only to have her eyes widen in mild panic.

Beth was sprawled on the floor, duct tape covering her mouth as well and rope around her wrists. Stryker stood over her, smiling slightly.

“I found someone to keep you company, little bird. Someone left all by herself in the scary cabin.” He said in a tauntingly calm tone. “Poor, Innocent, Little Bethany.”

He approached Juliet and ripped the tape off of her mouth, causing her to wince and recoil at the pain. He did the same to Beth, causing the poor teen to begin to cry softly. Stryker kneeled down next to her, calming her mockingly.

“Oh, Bethany, no need to fear me. As long as you do what I say, you’ll be just fine.” He chuckled before standing, leaving the two alone in the room.

Beth awkwardly stood on her knees and moved closer to Juliet, trying to find whatever comfort she could as she cried.

“What’s happening?” She asked in a broken tone.

“Are you hurt? Did he do anything?” Juliet asked calmly, ignoring the fact the duct tape had torn the skin of her lip and it was now bleeding ever so slightly.

“N-no… He hit me a few times, but I-I think I’m okay…”

“Good…” Juliet sighed. “Damn it, Beth, I’m so sorry…” She shook her head. “Maker’s breath… This is all my fault, where is Coulson?!”

“Wh-what do you mean…?”

Juliet hesitated. “That man earlier? The one who grabbed you and beat you?” Beth nodded. “His name is William Stryker. He’s… he is a very bad man. He takes mutants and experiments on them… twisting them into his little weapons and playthings. It’s sickening… I was one of the people he tested on. He’s been targeting Connor and I for quite a while… I didn’t think he would ever dare attack another human, what with all his pro-humanity anti-mutant talk…”

“D-does that mean you are… you’re a mutant?”

Juliet nodded. “Yes… Yes I am.”

“Oh…”

“Does that frighten you? The idea that I am a mutant?”

Beth shook her head slightly. “No! I just… I don’t know… It’s weird, I guess, but it’s not like you have any control over it… I’m sorry… ”

“It’s alright.” Juliet looked around the room. There were surprisingly no security cameras or bugs that she could detect. S.H.I.E.L.D. must have debugged the house. Or… someone had. She wasn’t certain. “Listen… We can get out of here. Someone… someone is trying to help us… disarm things… I can tell.”

“What… what do we need to do?” Beth asked.

“I can feel one of my wrist restraints getting loose, the left one. These were done rather hastily… Can you fiddle with it to get it undone?”

Beth nodded and brought her wrists in front of her chest, picking at the rope around Juliet’s left wrist. It did not take her long to undo the knot with her fake nails, and soon Juliet’s left hand was free. She grinned at this and quickly undid her other wrist, rubbing at her wrists briefly before freeing Beth. She also undid her ankle restraints and stood, very glad to no longer be bound to a chair.

The two looked around the room to see if there was anything useful to be found. There was not, but it did not take them long to discover than Stryker was not planning this very well. He left the door unlocked. He relied much more heavily on that rope than he should have. Juliet grabbed her boots and slipped them back on, grateful to have warmth return to her cold feet. They left the room, finding that they were in a room tucked away in the far corners of the basement. Beth was able to figure out where they were quite quickly, remembering hiding in that room during a game of Hide and Seek when she was a child.

Juliet walked closely to Beth as they maneuvered their way through the maze that was the basement. Her hand glowed a faint red, the Aeather’s powers on standby and ready to unleash themselves at a moment’s notice. The magic centralized on her fingertips, crackling on occasion. She was high on her guard, still rather bitter that she had been captured by Stryker’s men. Granted, she was in a panic to find Connor, but still. She should not have been taken out so easily.

Beth was nervously shaking as they walked through the empty halls of her cabin’s basement. She had always been frightened of the basement at night, and the evening’s events had only worsened that fear. Juliet had rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder as they walked together, trying to calm any anxieties Beth had. She was safe as long as she was with her. Right..?

In the distance, Juliet could faintly hear the screech of the dreaded beast she and Connor had feared seeing. There were also sounds of rustling in the trees, showing that the wendigo was on the move. She thought they had already purged them that day, before anyone else got here.

Beth seemed to hear it, too, and she let out a piercing shriek, jumping nearly a foot in the air and knocking Juliet back with a stray arm, sending her flying back onto a door, breaking it and falling inside.

She yelped as she fell back into the dusty room. Juliet’s head pounded as she crashed onto the now broken wooden door. She swore she could hear the majority of the group calling out Beth’s name, but she did not focus on it. She rubbed her temples in an attempt to get the pounding to cease. It seemed to work. She slowly stood, nearly tripping on pieces of wood from the door and grabbing onto a shelf for balance. Looking around the dark room, Juliet could make out that there were a few cluttered shelves and a small light in the corner. Upon investigation, she noticed it was a small window. The moon was shining through, radiant as ever. It was a welcome sight. She let her thoughts drift for a brief moment as she stared up at the glowing moon. Juliet shuddered as a memory flashed in her mind.

 

  
_It had been a long day for the two Commanders. The Reaper’s efforts were relentless, and it was beginning to wear Connor down to the bone. The two sat on the rooftop of an old bar on Earth, strong drinks in hand. She tried not to cough as Connor smoked one of his rare cigarettes. He was slow to breathe out the smoke filling his lungs, blowing circles of smoke at the night sky. Stars littered the sky, clustering above their heads._

_The moon was radiant, shining large and beautiful in front of the two soldiers. What few clouds were in the sky were tinted pink from the lights of the distant city, giving the moon a delicate aura._

_After the smoke had cleared a bit, Juliet sighed deeply and took a long drink from her glass, setting it next to her when she finished. She looked up at the familiar stars, gazing at them with fondness._

_Connor sighed, catching her attention. She glanced at him before closing her eyes._

_“You alright?” She asked._

_He hummed, glowing red eyes downcast. His scars stood out in the darkness, glowing ever so slightly in the places they had been carved into his skin. Despite the menacing aura they gave him, he still looked handsome with them. They gave him a sense of maturity, one of authority. Despite Juliet knowing he was only a scared child playing with things he barely understood._

_“No.” Connor finally said, taking another long drag from the death stick between his fingers._

_“Anything in particular?” Juliet asked, opening her eyes and gazing at the moon._

_Connor chuckled bitterly, smoke billowing out of his mouth as he did. “We’re the only things this galaxy has left to rely on. It’s a lot of pressure, Shep.”_

_“I know. Believe me, if I could have changed this, I would have.”_

_“I know… Still.” He put out the cigarette, not bothering to finish it. “I don’t know what to do about all of this… Reapers are attacking, for fucks sake. And we’re sitting on top of a closed down bar staring at the stars.”_

_She was silent for a brief moment. “You know… A long time ago, someone told me that as long as the moon continues to rise and set, that we would continue to as well. The moon is a sort of life force, and it will keep you strong and safe in the darkest of times.”_

  
_Connor was silent for a brief moment. “Keep your philosophical bullshit away from me.” He said with a grin on his face._

_Juliet laughed and lightly punched him on the shoulder before they finished their drinks and returned back to the SSB Normandy._

 

 

  
The memory was bittersweet now. The moon would keep you safe… It clearly had not kept Connor safe. She cringed at the recollection of the video, his screams of pain as the saw tore straight through him. It had all been because she was not fast enough, because she failed to see through Stryker’s plans. If only she had been able to keep the strength her telepathy once had. Then perhaps…

“Tis all an idle fantasy, I suppose.” She muttered to herself.

She sighed, turning from the window and stumbling over the pieces of wood on the ground. Everyone had come back to the cabin since she had left. Everyone seemed to be alright… Well. With the obvious exception of the traumatized teens covered in dried blood. Hannah and Josh had rushed to Beth’s side, and were currently trying to find out what had happened to her.

Juliet glanced back at them for a brief moment before using the Aeather’s powers to teleport away, seeing her opportunity to fix something that had been broken.

 

 

  
When Beth noticed Juliet was gone, she did not react immediately. She figured that Juliet had gone off and found something related to Stryker, and it was only when Emily asked about her whereabouts did Beth panic. Pointing into the room Juliet fell into, Beth trembled as she thought about what could have happened to her and what the strange noise was.

Sam pushed the newly broken door open and cautiously stepped over the pieces of wood on the ground, groping around to find a light switch. It did not take her long to find it, filling the spacious closet with light. There was a thin layer of dust over the objects stacked neatly on the many shelves, but there was no dust on the things that had fallen with Juliet’s impact. There were a few hand and footprints in the dust around where she fell, and Sam could faintly see an arrow drawn in the dust. Following it, she found a small note in Juliet’s handwriting.

 _‘I’m fine. Need to go fix something. Don’t worry about me, back in a few.’_ It read.

“Way to be cryptic, Jay…” Sam muttered as she exited the room.

“She’s not in there?” Beth questioned, voice trembling.

“Where’d she go?” Matt asked when she came out of the closet alone.

“I don’t know. She left a note saying she had to go “fix something”, whatever that means…”

Mike’s brows furrowed in suspicion. “Doesn’t that sound a little fishy to you?”

Josh looked up at him in confusion. “W-what’re you saying?”

“Beth, you said she fell back into that room when you screamed, right?” Mike asked, causing Beth to nod in confirmation. “Then why would she choose that moment to leave and “fix” things? And what would she even be fixing?”

The group was silent then, pondering what Mike suggested.

“So…” Josh thought aloud. “You… you think Juliet’s behind all this?”

Mike shook his head. “No. At least, I don’t think so…” He crossed his arms. “I mean, with what happened to Connor… They’re so close, she’d never do that to him!”

“I’m not so certain…” Emily said. “Playing devil’s advocate here, but what if this was all some big set up of her’s?”

Beth vigorously shook her head. “N-no, no it’s not her. There’s no way! She… there was this guy, and he-he grabbed me from the living room. Hit me a few times and tied me up… then he threw me in a room where Juliet was… She was strapped to a metal chair and gagged…”

“Wait, what?!” Hannah gasped, holding her sister close. “Beth, holy shit, are you okay?!”

“Yeah, I’m fine… Juliet had the worst of it. She was all banged up, and had cuts on her face… She had a really bad black eye…”

“Beth, you have a really bad black eye.” Matt countered.

“Her’s was worse.” Beth took in a deep breath.

Matt then shut himself up.

“That still doesn’t answer the question as to where Juliet went. What is she doing?” Mike thought out loud. “Or, planning…?”

Josh spoke up, voice quiet but still heard. “They were both acting really distant today… Like, they weren’t really talking like they usually do… When I asked Juliet about it, she said she didn’t sleep well, which is total BS. She was lost in thought about something, but didn’t tell me what it was…”

“Maybe she was thinking about all of this!” Emily suggested accusingly.

Sam shook her head. “No, no I’m still not convinced she’s behind anything.”

“She said she thought someone was trying to help us when we were still tied up…” Beth muttered. “Like, someone was disarming everything and looking out for us, she said…”

Josh’s breath hitched slightly, catching Beth and Hannah’s attention. “If someone’s disarming things, looking out for us… then why couldn’t they fucking save Connor?”

Hannah wrapped her arms around her brother and gently patted his back as he began to cry again. She began to murmur comforting words as Josh clutched onto her. His back hitched with his sobs as he held the fabric of Hannah’s light blue jacket. Beth was baffled, not knowing about what happened to Connor.

“Wait… what?” She whispered to Sam.

“Connor was killed. Cut in half with a saw. Chris and he were tied up and Josh and Ashley had to choose who would live. They all had to watch as he died.” Sam whispered back solemnly, noticing Ashley and Chris flinch at the mention of it. Josh did not hear it, to Sam’s relief.

“Oh… oh my god…” Beth muttered. “Was- was it the same guy who tied us up?”

  
“We don’t know.” Chris said. “When Juliet and I were attacked, we didn’t get a good look at our attackers. They hit us from behind, fast and hard.”

“That’s what they did to me!” said Beth.

“They must be adamant on us not seeing them…” Mike said offhandedly.

“But if that’s true, then why did Stryker show his face to Juliet and I?” She folded her arms. “I mean, we were tied up and all, but still. So was Chris, right?”

“I don’t know… Maybe he thought you wouldn’t escape?”

“The door wasn’t even locked…” She said, trailing off.

“Wait, he didn’t even lock the door?!” Jess exclaimed. “Oh my god, he wanted you guys to escape!”

“How are you certain?” Emily asked. “They were tied up. Beth said Juliet was strapped to a chair. How were they supposed to escape?”

“How did you two escape?” Hannah asked rather befuddled, having listened to the conversation while comforting Josh.

“I was tied up with rope on the floor. He only tied my wrists, though. Juliet was tied by her wrists and ankles to a chair. Her restraints were done really hastily, so I picked at them until they came loose, and then we escaped.”  
  
“Hmm…” Matt pondered something for a moment. “If Stryker was so set on hurting Juliet, why wouldn’t he use something she couldn’t break? Like, metal or something…”

“That’s a good point, but that’s implying she could tear through rope.” Sam said.

“We know she’s a mutant. We don’t know how strong of a mutant she is.” Mike said.

The group was silent then, thinking over what Mike was suggesting. Could Juliet really be behind all of this? No… No, she would never do that to Connor… Right?

Ashley shook her head. “I still don’t think she’s behind everything. It has to be Stryker. The letter spells it out!”

“But then there’s the matter of her note.” Mike countered. “How did she know to write that so quickly? I mean, she fell back into the room, Beth screamed, we all ran down, and she was gone. How?”

“We don’t know what her power is. Or powers.” Emily said.

“Are you suggesting she’s a teleporter? Or has super speed?” Chris asked hesitantly.

“She damn well could be. Listen, if there are mutant who can read minds or shape shift, who’s to say there aren’t teleporters?”

“True…” Chris shrank back next to Ashley, gently gripping her hand.

“We should probably go upstairs before that Stryker guy comes back…” Beth suggested, already moving towards the stairs.


	6. Chapter Five: Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

**Chapter Five: Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked**   
_Extreme gore and mild nudity warning_

 

Pain. Pain, god, so much pain. Constant, unending, unbearable. Numbness forms in the gut, where the whir continues. Pain. Blood. Covered in blood. Blood dripping, splattering everywhere. Teeth grit, when will the pain stop? It won’t, it won’t. It hasn’t and it won’t. Never will. Been an hour. An hour of the pain. Healing factor won’t let me die. Want to die, want to die, want to die. Numb to the pain, yet still feel it. Pain gets sharp. Organ fell onto saw. Cringe. Want to die, want to die. World starts to go dark. Footsteps. Laughter. Sharp pain on my face. Liquid runs from the pain. Footsteps. Closing door. Electric static. Pinging white noise. Saw still running. Darkness. Everything goes black.

 

 

_Upon hearing Jessica’s faint shriek, Connor had been thrown into a quiet panic. It seemed that no one else had heard, too focused on whatever they were doing to notice._

_“Josh, what’s the way to the guest cabin?” Connor asked, resting a hand on his partner’s shoulder._

_“Uh, it’s the lit path heading right from the cabin. Why?” Josh asked, turning to look up at Connor from his seat on the couch._

_“I forgot to ask Jessica about something, and it’s pretty important. I’ll be back in a little while.” Connor pecked Josh’s forehead before grabbing his coat and slipping it on._

_“Take a flashlight with you in case.” Sam called from the kitchen, holding out one to Connor. He nodded upon taking it, thanking her before heading out the door._

_Sprinting down the pathway to the guest cabin, Connor didn’t even bother to turn on the flashlight. He nimbly leapt over piles of snow and fallen branches and trees. Quickly navigating the forest he had already memorized, he came to the front door of the guest cabin. He panted heavily as he looked around at the shattered glass of the door on the ground. The door was wide open, allowing the harsh winds to billow into the small cabin. Mike and Jessica were nowhere to be seen, and there were several sets of footprints leading away from the cabin. He could recognize Mike’s boot prints, as well as the jagged footprints of a wendigo._

_Connor did not hesitate to sprint after the footprints, following the trail to the sanatorium. He cringed as he jumped down into the abandoned building, landing on his feet. He switched on the flashlight Sam gave him, shining it around the sanatorium in search of his friend._

_It did not take him long to find the collapsed elevator shaft, which he began to climb down. The old metal creaked upon supporting his weight, but thankfully did not collapse underneath him. He scaled his way down the outside of the broken elevator to the bottom. The first thing he noticed when he reached the bottom was the metallic stench of blood. His eyes widened as he landed at the bottom._

_Jessica laid sprawled on the ground, dressed in only her underwear. There were deep slashes across her chest and stomach, along with smaller scratches littering her arms and legs. However, the worst part was her jaw, which had been forcibly ripped off by the wendigo. Her tongue hung limply on her bloody throat, and her teeth were drenched in blood. Connor could see the bottom half of her jaw cast to the side._

_“God, Jessica… I’m so sorry.” He muttered, closing her eyes with his fingertips. “I wasn’t fast enough.”_

_He scooped her lifeless body up from the ground, holding her bridal style as he made his way out of the sanatorium, making sure to avoid Mike as he did. He knew well that he was still exploring the building and discovering the secrets within it. It would be best to avoid the contact for now. Besides, he was going to reset anyways. Might as well save himself some time._

_It took him only a few minutes for Connor to make his way to the entrance to the sanatorium with Jessica’s body. Her blood had begun to seep into Connor’s coat sleeve, but he managed to ignore it. He glanced around the snowy terrain for a spot not covered in snow. He spotted a large pine tree with a clear halo underneath it. It was perfect._

_“I’ve a feeling you’d like being buried so close to nature, Jess.” He muttered to himself._

_Connor made his way to the clear area and set Jessica down near the base of the pine tree. He used the Tesseract’s magic to conjure a shovel, and then he began to dig a grave for her. It took a good half an hour, but giving himself closure was the only thing on his mind that mattered in that moment. After the grave had been completely dug, he took a moment to breathe before he gently picked up Jessica and set her at the bottom of the grave._

_“Rest in peace,_ amigo _.” He said as he began to cover her body with dirt. “I’ll see you again soon.”_

 

 

  
When she came into the shed, the first thing Juliet noticed was the stench.

The metallic scent of blood assaulted her senses as she pushed open the creaky door of the shed. Her nose scrunched up in disgust as she stepped into the spacious shed.

“God, the things I do for you…” She muttered as she stepped around the various torture instruments littering the floor.

Hearing the sound of a running saw, Juliet approached it, coming into the room she had seen in the video. She used her electric magic to take out every camera she knew about in the shed, cutting off Stryker’s eyes and ears. A light positioned in a way similar to a spotlight was focused on Connor’s body, still cut in half and still on the running blade. There was blood flying from the blade of the saw. She could hear him groaning in pain, occasionally mumbling something unintelligible.   
  
“Connor?” She called out. “It’s me, Juliet.”

“Blackbird…” He called back, not looking up when she walked into the room he was in. “Get me off of here… Please…”

“Sorry I’m late. I was tied up, you know how it is.” She muttered as she took in his appearance.

Aside from being only half the man he was earlier, in a quite literal sense, he was not in a very good state. Evidently, he had put up more of a fight than Juliet had. He had a large bruise over his left brow, close to where one of his Renegade scars used to be. He also had a black eye on the opposite side of his face, and a slash dangerously close to the side of his eye. Blood steadily flowed from the slash and the sides of his mouth, dripping down his neck and collarbone and highlighting the dark bruises around his neck. His wrists were bruised, much like her own, from where he had struggled. His skin was deathly pale from the massive amount of blood loss. He had lost more blood than humanly possible thanks to his healing factor.

Juliet tore her gaze away and walked back to the room with the lever, beginning to tamper around with the mechanics of it. It was simple for her to rewire the lever to retract the saw and switch it off. Connor sighed in relief and the newly found lack of a blade in his torso. She looked back up and tried not to vomit at the sight of Connor’s internal organs hanging loosely from his waist.

“Glad that thing didn’t cut through your pelvis. Oh Maker, that would take forever to heal. And we don’t exactly have that kind of time on our hands.” She muttered as she came back in and untied him, lowering his torso to the ground.

“Tell me about it.” He said, voice hoarse from all of the screaming he had done.

“How did it even cut all the way through? Is your spine not coated in adamantium?” She asked as she pulled up the lower half of Connor’s body and began to stick the pieces of his organs together, letting the healing factor reattach everything. She held back her disgust as she watched.

“Not the whole spine. The vertebrae from the bottom of my rib cage to above my pelvis aren’t. That’s where they stuck the machine that put the metal on my rib cage and most of my spine. If they’d put it anywhere else, it would’ve killed me.” Connor explained, several words being strained as Juliet worked.

“Ah. Jesus, that’s disturbing…”

“I know. Believe me, it wasn’t all that pleasant.” He glared at Juliet. “Wasn’t all that pleasant getting sawed in half, either.”

“I’m sorry! Maker, you’re the one with the time powers now! How was I to know about this?”

Connor glared at her. “You know for a fact you can tap into it using your mind powers.”

“It’s called telepathy.”

“Piss off.” He groaned as Juliet held his stomach and pressed the two pieces together.

“I know, it hurts. Just hang in a little longer.

“Besides,” She continued. “My telepathy is nothing compared to what it used to be. I can’t get a read on you unless you’re in the room. I suppose Cerebro could amplify it, but not to the extent of my former power.”

“Yeah… Oh god, everything hurts and I’m dying.”

“You are not dying.”

“I just want a nap…” He muttered.

“I know. I admit, I could use one as well.”

“This feels so weird. I mean, I’ve had people inside me before, but this is a whole new level.” He chuckled.

Juliet’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “Maker, don’t even start with that. We do not need to discuss your sex life at a time like this.”

A moment of silence passed before Connor spoke again.

“Uuugghhhhhh… I don’t know what to do.”

Juliet set his stomach down and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“They’re traumatized. I literally got sawed in half in front of them. I feel like I should repeat again, but…”

She shook her head, eyes narrowed and voice stern. “No. Your sanity is wearing thin enough. One more repeat and your mind’s gone. I can see it’s taking a lot out of Tess to keep this up right now.”

  
“Yeah…”

“Connor, we can heal Josh’s mind. And Ashley’s, and Chris’. It will be okay.” She sighed. “We’ll find a way to work through this.”

“No more repeats?”

“No more repeats.”

 _‘DEAR FUCKING GOD NO MORE REPEATS.’_ The Tesseract screamed from inside Connor’s head.

Juliet chuckled at their statement. “Don’t worry. No more repeats.”

She swore she could hear faint cheering, but she paid it little attention. After a brief moment, she was finished with his internal organs and began to reattach Connor’s waist. He took a deep breath as the ligaments between the vertebrae began to connect, and he relished the feeling of the nerves in his legs coming to life. He could feel the blood beginning to flow through his once again attached limbs. His foot twitched slightly, and he began to bend his toes to bring feeling back to them.

He took in another deep breath as his eyes and nerves glowed a faint blue, the Tesseract’s magic coursing through and regaining power. For a brief moment, Juliet could see the piercing red of the Renegade shine in his eyes, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. With help, he sat up, relatively dried blood covering the floor beneath him. Pain initially shot through his waist where he had been cut, but it faded quickly. Connor didn’t even notice it. He was so jaded from being on a running saw for an hour that nothing could truly faze him at this point.

He coughed a few times, causing more blood to run down from his chin, which he wiped it away with his wrist. His breathing was deep, trying to get oxygen to reach the parts of him that were reattaching themselves. He looked down at where the cut was, and through the blood, he could see a long, thick, jagged scar forming on his abdomen. Juliet sighed, running a finger gently along it.

“I am sorry about all of this, you know.” She whispered.

“I know…” He muttered.

“Do you?”

Connor glared down at the scar, ignoring the pain the action caused him because of the bruise on his forehead. “Logic is telling me to believe you, emotions are not. Kinda hard to fight that battle.”

“Not that I’d know.” Juliet said quietly.

Connor hummed and nodded after a moment. The two sat in silence, each deep in thought. Connor dwelling on his next move, Juliet filling herself with pointless regret. After about a minute of this, Connor stood, legs shaky but working. He took a few steps to regain his balance before looking down at Juliet and helping her stand as well.

“I’m gonna go change into something… y’know, not drenched in my own blood.” He said, motioning to his clothes with bloodied hands.

“Alright. What do I tell the group?”

“Keep up the assumption I’m dead. Best if they have that mindset; it’ll keep Stryker convinced. I’m gonna sneak around and fuck with Stryker’s traps. Disarm ‘em and all.” Connor cracked his knuckles. “Teach the bastard a lesson about fucking with a Hawke.”

Juliet nodded. “Have fun. I’ll go back to the group now.”

“Oh ho, I will. Believe me, I’m gonna have fun with this.”

Connor, without turning to face her, held up a peace sign before teleporting off, a cloud of sulfuric blue and purple appearing where he stood for a brief moment. Juliet sighed, taking one last look at the bloodied wall before teleporting herself, appearing outside the front of the cabin.

She stopped and listened to the forest around the cabin for a minute. In the distance, she could hear the screeches fighting wendigos. Perhaps they would kill each other before they found the cabin. A gunshot sounded out. Likely one of Stryker’s men trying in vain to fight them off. Two more gunshots and another wendigo screech. Then silence. They were probably already dead. Sounds of fighting became faint, then silence again, broken by a dog howling and a wendigo shriek.

Shaking her head, Juliet walked in the front door of the cabin, only to come face to face with a rather baffled group of teenagers. They all stared at her with wide eyes as she walked in.

“What?” She asked, not thinking about how strange it was.

“...what the fuck?” Beth asked in a soft, shaky voice with widened eyes.

“So which is it, super speed or teleportation?” Chris asked rather excitedly. “We’ve been arguing for a while now, which is it?!”

“Teleportation, and what?” She was rather baffled, but gave her answer without a second thought.

“We’ve found some things in the basement. You should take a look at them and-” Sam began to say, but was interrupted by Mike.

“No, first she should give us some answers.” He crossed his arms. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Why do you think I know?” Juliet said, closing the door. “I’m just as in the dark as the rest of you.”

“Really? You mysteriously vanished after falling back in a room and left a note behind. We found photos of who we’re certain is you and a letter from the X Men with your name on it. What reason would we have to not suspect you?”

“Mike, cut it out. She’s not behind this-” Emily started to say.

“Come on, Em. Tell me you don’t see what I’m trying to say! Connor’s dead; we need to find out who did it!”

“Let me see these pictures and this letter.” Juliet said, walking up to the coffee table and picking up the letter. She read it quickly and grabbed the pictures, shuffling through the pictures in order of the date. She frowned at them, setting them back down on the table.

“What can you tell us about these?” Matt asked.

“Well, you were correct in your speculation. Those pictures were of and about me.” She said. “Stryker captured me many years ago and forced experiments on me. Trying to test my limits, see what information he could pull from me. For the longest time, I had an indestructible metal on my bones, known as either adamantium or vibranium. It all depends on who you ask.”

“Isn’t that what the Avengers were trying to secure in the Sokovia attack?” Jess asked.

“Technically, yes. Same material, but it was not the Sokovia attack where the adamantium was scoured.”

“And this stuff covers your bones?” asked Chris, not really believing it.

Juliet nodded. “It once did, past tense. My mutations were very… unique. My true power was the ability to steal other mutant’s powers through use of a blood sample. However, if I took too much, I took on physical traits of the mutant in question. It has only happened a couple of times. One of the powers I stole was the ability to heal myself, which caught Stryker’s attention. He captured me and replicated the Wolverine experiments on me.”

“I’ve heard of those. Didn’t they do the same for that guy, the metal on bones part, and he tried to hunt Stryker down later?” Hannah asked.

“He didn’t try, he succeeded. Just didn’t quite kill him. Circumstances and all.” Juliet sighed. “I remember Logan well. Despite all the anger, he was a good man. Strong heart. Stronger claws.”

“I figured you knew the Wolverine.” Mike said offhandedly.

“Mm. Stryker has tried for years to track us down, to get vengeance for disrupting his little game. We tore down his laboratories and freed those he was testing on. They were all children, too… Anyways. He gave up on Logan years ago, but never me… which is how all of this happened.” She made a hand motion, waving at the room and the trio that was at the shed.

“Wait, you said you used to have adamantium on your bones? What happened to it?” Sam questioned.

“It’s… a long story.” Juliet glanced at the floor, reluctant to tell. “Rather complicated, I’m afraid. We haven’t the time for that tale right now.”

“But wait, how is it that you were in these experiments in 1989 and yet you still look like a college student?” Sam asked, a confused look on her face.

“A mixture of things. Shape shifting and time travel.” She shrugged.

“... you say that so casually…” Ashley muttered.

Juliet chuckled dryly. “The answer is simpler than you all would like to believe. This has been my life, Ashley. Shape shifting and time travel. ‘Tis what I do, and what I always have done.”

“But… how does Connor tie into all of this?” Emily questioned, folding her arms. “Is he a time traveler, too?”

Juliet nodded. “He is actually from the future. Born in 2160.” She said offhandedly.

“Wait, WHAT?!” Beth exclaimed.

“You heard me correctly. Connor is from the future.”

Juliet glanced around the room, looking for any sign of Stryker’s presence. Seeing nothing, she continued, though her tone was hushed.

“He was born a mutant, as you know. Where he was from, mutants were highly respected and treated as equals. He’s from an esteemed family of mutants. Large family, too. He’s the youngest of eight children.”

“Dear god, so many siblings… and all older, too…” Jess muttered.

“Tell me about it. I’ve met them; they are all ridiculously chaotic. I’ve no clue how they all manage to get along.”

“So… is everything we know about you two a lie?” Mike asked, an accusing tone not well hidden. “Do you two even care about us?”

“No, not everything, and yes, we do. Only our stories are lies.”

“And your ages.” Sam said.

“Yes, that too. But, we do care. Connor especially. He’s put his life on the line for you all more times than he would care to admit. He loves you all very dearly.” Juliet’s gaze became distant for a brief moment as her brows knit together in regret.

“I’m… I’m sorry I suspected you, but can you really blame us?” Mike said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Juliet shook her head, her long, dark hair swaying with the movement. “No, I would do the same in your position.”

“Actually, now that I think about it,” She continued. “Connor was actually much more revealing than he’d care to admit to me. Most of what you know about him is true.”

“Like?” Matt asked.

“Where he’s from. He _is_ from Trinidad and Puerto Rico. His personality, interests, academic ability for the most part. Everything but his past.” She crossed her arms. “In fact, he’s not entirely honest with _me_ about his past. And I was there for most of it.”

“What do you mean?” Hannah asked.

“Well, to explain that, I’d have to explain our story…” She murmured.

“We have time.” Matt said, causing some of the other teens to nod in agreement.

“Well…” She hesitated.

 _‘Go ahead. I’ve got nothing left to lose. Come clean. Besides, they think I don’t care, right? Prove ‘em otherwise.’_ Connor told her through their telepathic link.

Juliet nodded. “Alright. Get comfortable, we’re going to be here for quite a while…”

 

 

  
_‘Good, they’re distracted. Now I can play with the traps in the main level.’_ Connor thought to himself, pulling the blood drenched t shirt off of his torso. He discarded the garment onto a plastic bag, trying to be as quiet about it as possible. He grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom connected to the bedroom and turned on the sink, getting the corner of the cloth wet. He began dabbing the wounds on his face, cleaning the blood from the deep cut next to his right eye and his mouth. Upon finishing, he set the cloth down next to the sink, choosing to run a hand through his disheveled hair. Cleaning the rest of his body off with a damp towel, Connor took a look at himself in the mirror of the bedroom he was to share with Josh.

His torso was attached correctly to his waist, but there was still a deep, jagged scar running around his torso right above his hips. It was much deeper than any scar he had had before, including the oddly colored one on his left shoulder where he had been bitten in a previous timeline by the wendigo version of Josh. He rubbed the shoulder scar self consciously, bitterly recalling the memory. His healing factor had only been able to heal the injuries so much. Something was preventing it from fully healing the scars, likely as a reminder to Connor of his mistakes. He finished cleaning off his torso and set the towel down for a moment, choosing to keep looking at his reflection for a minute longer.

His toned abdomen, which he had once been proud of, would likely carry this scar for a long time. At least, until he could figure out what’s preventing the healing process. Must be something with the Tesseract. With the other scars he had, such as the one on his chin and cheekbone, he kept them there purposefully. They served as a reminder for his past and the good he had caused. A reminder that he did, in fact, do good things from time to time. Both of those scars had been caused by Connor protecting people, with the one on his chin from saving Juliet from a stray bullet that would have likely crippled her and the one on his cheekbone from protecting an innocent when the Thresher Maw attacked his group on Akuze all those years ago. He was proud of those. These, however… These marked his failures. His failure to protect the people he loved and cared about so deeply. Again, and again, and again. Constant failure, repeated death.

It was killing him on the inside to have these physical reminders of his failures. Though it did comfort him, in an odd sense. At least he wasn’t the only one to be able to see that he’s scarred. He shook his head, disappointed in himself for even thinking that. God, what was wrong with him?

Actually, wait.

He already knew damn well what was wrong with him. Depression, serious PTSD, a long series of various instances of torture, mild ADHD, just being an asshole in general. And, you know, having a magic stone inside him that practically made him God incarnate. Pesky thing, that. He bitterly chuckled to himself, briefly wondering what the hell he had done to get himself in such a bizarre scenario. The Tesseract glowed from within him, illuminating in a bright light right below the center of his collarbone. The sensation was mildly burning, like all magic was to him, as a human who was not born around or having magic.

Running his thumb over the long, fresh scar caused the Tesseract to glow on the spots Connor touched. She was keenly aware of how much pain the saw had caused him, and she was aware of how this was messing with his head. Which he really did not need, his head was messed up enough already. What with all of the trauma he had experienced in his life, let alone the past night. Or, nights. Was it nights? He had repeated this night too many times to count. Maybe it was nights? Resets are weird.

Shaking his head, he forced himself to stop staring at the scars and clean off his blood. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he walked over to his suitcase, slipping off the bloodstained jeans and boxer shorts on his way over. He had kicked off his shoes and socks a while ago. Grabbing a fresh pair of boxers, he slipped them on while planning his next move. He would have to act fast if he was going to keep out running Stryker. It was a good thing he was telepathic; he had discovered Stryker’s entire plan. His thoughts were very loud, Connor had regretfully learned. And annoying. Too cocky and arrogant, too sure of himself.

Pulling on a pair of dark denim jeans, Connor thought about what all he had to do. He had already short circuited Stryker’s bugs and cameras around the cabin, giving him the perfect opportunities he needed. He had also discovered that the majority of what Stryker had planned was all tech related. His specialty. He smirked to himself just thinking about it. Oh, Stryker was going to have a bad time.

‘Just what he deserves.’ Connor thought. ‘Asshole.’

He grabbed a plain black shirt and a black pullover jacket, slipping them on. The jacket had a large scarf like hood, hiding his neck and the tip of his chin. Dark clothes would let him sneak around easier, after all. It was a dark cabin. Connor was also smart enough to know that Stryker would eventually find out his body had disappeared and begin to suspect things. He could not let himself be discovered. Any part of his face would be a dead giveaway. Especially his eyes.

Using the Tesseract’s magic, he conjured a mask for himself. He pulled a cloth mask over his neck and mouth, resting it on the bridge of his nose. Taking a minute to admire the mask the Tesseract had conjured, he traced the intricate details of the kabuki like mask. It was a dark grey based mask, with wolf inspired markings painted on in dark blue. There were black tear drop shapes angled in above the eyes, and the eyes themselves had a thin black fabric preventing anyone from seeing his eyes. He smiled to himself before slipping the mask over his face and pulling the hood up. He grabbed a pair of black gloves and slipped them on before nodding to himself and teleporting off to cause mayhem for a certain mutant-hunting scientist.


	7. Chapter Six: A Helpful Spirit

**Chapter Six: A Helpful Spirit**

“And that is how we ended up here. After we finished scavenging the pyramid’s ruins, we came to New York, and you all met us.” Juliet concluded.

“Wow…” muttered Chris as the group took in the final words of her story. “That’s just… wow…”

“I had no idea…” Ashley whispered.

“That was the point. We didn’t want anyone knowing where we come from, who we really are. Connor especially. He wanted to just be a normal guy to you all. He simply wanted to have the experiences he never got when he was actually a kid.” Juliet said.

“So… does… does that mean Connor could still be alive?” Josh asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to sound ridiculous asking.

Juliet pondered that for a moment. “Possible… very possible…”

“Oh my god, that’s great!” Hannah said excitedly.

“He’d be extremely traumatized from getting murdered in such a gruesome fashion.” Juliet said offhandedly.

“That’s not so great!” She said in the same excited tone.

“We can hold onto the possibility, can’t we?” said Matt, rather desperate that Josh was correct.

“That we can. But knowing Connor…”

“How would he even get out of that?” Emily asked.

“Maybe he faked it to mess with Stryker?” Sam suggested.

Chris shook his head, shuddering. “No, it was real. That was- that had to have been real. How could he have faked it?”

Josh grabbed Hannah’s hand, trying to find some solace in the uncomfortable scenario. She gently squeezed his hand in response, trying to assure her brother that things would be okay. Somehow.

“Also, why would he? I don’t see any reason he would have faked his death…” Matt said. “Well, aside from messing with Stryker. But still. Making Josh make that choice is too cruel for Connor.”

“Agreed.” Juliet said, thinking for a moment. “Well… As you know, in the timelines where Hannah and Beth disappeared, Josh stopped taking his medication and concocted a cruel prank. That was a key part of it, forcing Chris to chose between himself and Ashley. It was rigged to kill Josh, though. He set up a dummy filled with pig organs and blood, and he stuck his head through a hole in the wall behind him.”

“Then… could Connor have done that?” Emily asked.

“No. There would be no reason for him to do this. I mean, I understand his mental state is fragile but… He would never do this to you guys.”

“Wait, what do you mean, “fragile mental state”?” Sam questioned.

Juliet hesitated. “Well… Ah… How do I explain this…”

Everyone waited patiently while Juliet sorted out how she would explain this. She faintly noticed something moving around in her peripheral vision, but brushed it off. After a moment, she sighed and straightened her back.

“Well…” She began. “I didn’t exactly explain why Connor was repeating the night… well… In each timeline, something happened that caused each of you to die. Again, and again, and again. Each in an increasingly gruesome, horrific way. Connor had to see you die over and over again. He’s been repeating it all to try and save all of you. The last timeline before this one, he had succeeded, but then… _wellll_ …” She trailed off, debating whether or not she should say.

Everyone’s expecting looks prompted her to finish.

“Well… Ah hah… Someone had the _wonderful_ idea to play Seven Minutes in Heaven with three couples in it, and one thing led to another, and... Sam and Josh sort of… had sex in the closet and… Connor may have… set half of the mountain on fire, in response to that…” She muttered the last part, but everyone still heard it.

Sam and Josh stared at each other with wide eyes.

 _“WHAT._ ” They both said.

“Yeahhhh Sam, you weren’t the nicest in that timeline…”

“No kidding, Jesus _fuck_!” Sam shook her head. “Dear god, I’m a lesbian though!”

“We know that now. Connor… well, used his telepathy to speed up the figuring out process, of that, heheh. He was NOT happy, to say the least.” Juliet grinned sheepishly, nervously chuckling.

“Understandably so…” muttered Matt.

“So wait, Connor reset the timeline because of that?” Beth asked.

Juliet nodded. “He set the entirety of the forest on fire in frustration. He had to reset to prevent arrest. Or, you know, you all dying. Again.”

“Ohh. That makes more sense.”

“I feel so bad for him, y’know?” Chris said, looking down at the coffee table and shrugging his shoulders. “I mean, he just wanted to keep us safe, right? God, he’s gone through so much already…”

“I just want him to be happy…” said Jess, agreeing with Chris’ train of thought.

“He was, you know. Being with you all… It was the happiest I’d seen him since the Inquisition… and that was, what, ten years ago for us? Twenty? Something along those lines.” murmured Juliet at a volume everyone could still hear her. “Especially being with Josh…”

Josh looked up at her, his eyes wide. “W-...what?”

“You heard me. Josh, you make Connor so happy. I haven’t seen him smile like that since…” She silenced herself then, not wanting to reveal anything else.

“...since?” Josh prompted, leaning forwards a tad.

“I’m not sure he would want me to say. It’s… very personal to him. I don’t want to be the one to talk about it.”

Josh nodded and sat back.

“So what do we do? We can’t just sit here like cornered animals while Stryker prepares his next twisted stunt.” Mike said, leaning forward.

“Very true.” Juliet crossed her arms, thinking over her possibilities. “There’s little we can do but wait to see what he’s planning next.”

“Well, you’ve had dealings with this guy before, right? Does he have any patterns?” Mike asked.

“More often than not, the worst thing comes first. He prefers to strike fast and hard, then slowly finish off the rest. But… he did say something that worried me.”

“What was it?”

“That none of you would survive until dawn.”

Silence overtook the group as they took in what Stryker had vowed. However, they all jumped in surprise when they heard the sound of metal clanging and footsteps.

 

 

 

 _‘You never realize the gifts you have until moments like these,’_ Connor thought to himself as he rapidly pressed keys on the laptop he may have borrowed from Ashley. Without telling her. Oops. He would apologize later, this was more important. Besides, he had saved everything of her’s onto an empty flash drive he found. Stryker’s “complicated” system had been a walk in the park for Connor to begin decoding. Being from a much more technologically advanced age, Connor’s already incredible knowledge of technology made hacking in almost too easy. It was as he expected.

Taking a moment to crack his knuckles, Connor leaned back and sighed. The mask was restricting his breathing ever so slightly, yet he paid it little mind. Stryker did not know who was taking the control away, and that was enough to make Connor happy. At least, temporarily.

His thoughts wandered to his friends as he furiously tore through Stryker’s defenses and mainframe. The look of sheer horror on Josh’s face was permanently seared into his mind. The way Ashley and Chris had called out to him, desperate to know he would survive. He hated that he had to lie to them like this, but it was the only way without resetting. And he would be damned if he restarted again.

His mind was in near literal shambles. Everything was becoming more and more difficult, with the exception of technological work, for some odd reason. It was one of the few things that had calmed him during his days in the military. That and sparring, but that was not exactly an option at the moment. He supposed that must have been why. He almost recoiled at the very thought of his military life and the horrid things he had done, but he managed to contain himself. Speech itself was difficult, what with every time he opened his mouth leading to psychotic rambling. The forced silence was helping, but only ever so slightly.

Connor chuckled to himself when he heard the sound of metal retracting and clanging. Say goodbye to your swinging death trap, Stryker. It was crudely designed; one of the teens would set off a trip wire, then axes would fall from the ceiling and attack them. Stupid, old fashioned, and unoriginal. Just like Stryker.

Tapping into the security cameras Stryker had had set up, he observed everyone as they were gathered in the living room. They had jumped, likely as a result of the clanging metal. He frowned when he heard footsteps. Everyone was already in the living room, so it had to be one of Stryker’s men, if not Stryker himself. Hearing a screeching sound from outside, he further frowned. He sighed, adjusting his mask before springing into action, locking the laptop and teleporting out of the room. His adamantium claws extended from his fingernails as he leapt into action, lunging at the wendigo that had screeched.

 

 

 

 

Needless to say, the group was not exactly pleased to see what else Stryker had in store for them. They were even less pleased when they were ambushed by his men. None of them had noticed Stryker’s men take positions behind the couch, reaching over and using chloroform to knock out Ashley, Hannah, Jess, and Josh. Juliet sprung up, fighting against the guard that had tried to strangle her from behind. She was successful in throwing him over her shoulder, breaking the coffee table and banging his head against the broken glass. A a small pool of blood extended out from the guard’s neck, showing her that he was as good as dead. Emily, Mike, and Chris were quick to bolt out of the room and into the basement, locking the door behind them.

Matt and Sam both whirled around after they saw the men behind the couch. Sam clocked the guard behind her between the eyes, taking the chance while he was stunned to knock the wind out of him and send him flying back onto the stone fireplace. Juliet could hear his spine snapping on the sharp edge of the fireplace. Matt, after dodging several attacks, got the guard behind him in a headlock and rammed him against the wall, knocking him out cold. The guards at the couch were quick to grab Ashley, Hannah, Jess, and Josh and drag them away, leaving through the front door of the cabin.

Beth had flung herself out of the chair she was in, screaming at the guards behind her. Juliet sprinted over to her, fighting against them and pushing them back into the kitchen. Matt, seeing this happen, ran into the kitchen and kicked one of the guards in the chest, sending him flying back onto the kitchen island, rendering him unconscious. The other was quickly taken out by Juliet, sprawled out on the kitchen floor. When the others were not looking, she stepped on his head and moved it to the side in a quick motion, swiftly snapping his neck and killing him. However, since no blood was spilled, they did not notice.

Matt and Sam both panted heavily, glancing at each other to make sure the other was okay. Juliet held onto Beth’s hand comfortingly, trying to calm the further frightened teen as she looked around to ensure there were no other guards. Beth squeezed her hand, not paying any mind to the gold ring that was currently digging into her hand.

“I don’t see any more of them.” Juliet said, eyes alert and moving.

“Good…” Matt breathed, still out of breath.

Sam looked down at the guards on the ground. “What do we do with them?”

“Kill them?” Juliet offered.

“NO.” All three teens quickly said, causing Juliet to pout slightly.

“We’ll tie them up and turn them into the police in the morning.” Matt suggested.

Juliet glanced at the time. 3:38 A.M. Almost two hours until dawn. She sighed, rather annoyed at the current situation.

“We need rope. I think I saw some in the basement earlier.” Beth said, taking deep breaths to prevent herself from crying.

“I did, too. Stryker had to have used it on us…” She muttered.

“Wait, where’s everyone else?” Matt asked, looking around the kitchen and going back into the living room.

“They grabbed Ash, Jess, Josh, and Hannah, and the others fled to the basement.” Sam said, checking the basement door. She groaned in frustration. “Locked. Of course.”

All of a sudden, the door unlocked itself. There was a piece of paper that fluttered from the vent above the door. Picking it up and opening it in confusion, Sam read it aloud.

“They fled to back of basement. Made a safe room. Rope near the jump box. -... Someone you know?” Sam was confused by the signature. “Who in the…?”

Juliet frowned in confusion. “I don’t know.” She said. “I certainly didn’t write it. And the door… Someone’s trying to help us.”

“Connor?” Beth whispered hopefully.

“I’m not certain… I don’t know if Connor would be this vague.”

“True…”

“He also got sawed in freaking half.” Matt muttered. “I don’t know if it’s possible to survive that, powers or no powers.”

Sam took a deep breath before opening the basement door, walking down the concrete steps with Beth, Matt, and Juliet trailing behind her. The dark atmosphere of the unfinished basement only added to the group’s anxiety. Their footsteps echoed on the concrete floor. With Beth’s navigation, they made their way to the jump box in no time. Just as the note said, there was a pile of rope on top of a cardboard box next to the jump box. There was another note on top of it.

“Tie them up, then find the safe room. -Someone you know.” Matt read the note while Sam slung the rope around her shoulder. “Seriously, who is this?”

“Could it be Stryker?” Beth questioned, still gripping Juliet’s hand.

Sam shook her head, her blonde bangs swaying with the motion. “No. This handwriting is familiar… I don’t know where I’ve seen it, but I know it’s not Stryker’s.”

Juliet hummed in agreement. Matt folded the note up and put it in the pocket of his letterman jacket. The group walked back up the main floor, doing as the note said. All of the guards were still out cold, making it much easier. After they were all bound, they were tossed into one of the empty bedrooms on the first floor. Juliet made certain they locked the door before leaving them. Before they went back downstairs, Sam grabbed a steak knife from the kitchen, saying it would be better to have a weapon in case Stryker got them.

They ventured back down into the dark basement, with Sam and Juliet in the lead. Matt had taken over holding Beth’s hand so Juliet could use her phone as a flashlight. They wandered around blindly in the basement, trying to figure out where the note was trying to lead them. After about ten minutes of this, another note fluttered from the vents.

“Near the room you were in. -Someone you know.” Juliet read aloud. Beth and her exchanged glances before the four of them began to make their way towards the room they had been tied up in. The warm color of Juliet’s eyes comforted Beth in an odd way. She shuddered as they walked past the room, and Matt squeezed her hand to silently say that they would protect her. She smiled at her friend when he did that.

Juliet became increasingly irritated as they approached the safe room. Stryker was beginning to get on her last nerves. Where were Jess, Josh, Ashley, and Hannah? And what was Stryker planning on doing? It couldn’t be good. Connor would not be happy with her that his boyfriend had been captured on her watch.

 _‘Though, it was his fault too,’_ she reasoned with herself. The entirety of the situation was getting on her nerves.

Sam was the one to open the safe room door, and Juliet was the one who dodged the literal bullet that shot out upon the door opening. She did not flinch, and her blank expression did not change. The hair on the left side of her face was blown back behind her shoulder at the force of the incoming bullet. Matt pulled Beth out of the way, shouting when he saw the bullet.

“Guys, chill, it’s us!” He yelled, staring into the safe room with panic in his eyes.

“Matt?” He heard Emily say. “Matt, oh my god, get in here! All of you!”

She shot out of the room and pulled the four of them in, shutting the door behind her. Beth was beginning to show signs of a panic attack, causing Juliet to hug her and let her cry. Her body was wracked with sobs as her breath hitched, and Juliet held her close and whispered comforting words while patting her hair. Mike checked the four of them for any wounds before sighing.

“Are you guys okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, we’re fine. Thanks for ditching us, by the way.” Sam said, crossing her arms.

Mike held his hands up defensively. “Hey! We were just trying to get out. We thought you guys were following us.”

She gave an unimpressed look. “Really. Then I guess it’s our fault they got Jess?”

He sighed. “Fuck, of course they got Jess. Shit…”

“Look, we’re gonna get them back and we’re gonna make Stryker pay.” Matt said, wrapping a protective arm around Emily. “He fucking killed Connor!”

Juliet glared and nodded. “He will not get away with this.”

  
“Hey…” Beth said, finally calmed down from her state of panic. “How did you guys get this safe room set up so quickly?”

  
“We found it like this. Once we locked ourselves in the basement, these notes told us to come here and that we’d be safe in here.” Chris said, pulling the notes from his jacket pocket and showing them to Juliet and Sam. Matt pulled out his own note and held them up, comparing them.

“Same handwriting…” Sam noticed. “And addressed the same way… ‘Someone you know’...”

“Who is that?” Emily questioned. “Is it Connor?”

“It can’t be.” Matt reasoned. “I don’t know if he’d be able to survive that even with his powers.”

“Then who is it? Who else could it be?”

Juliet sighed. “We don’t know. So far, they don’t mean to do us harm, but… I don’t know.” She crossed her arms, glaring at the floor.

“We’re going to have to go look for them, you know.” Mike said after a brief moment of silence. “We can’t let Stryker kill them like he did Connor.”

“You’re right.” Sam agreed. “But what do we do? If we all go, the safe room could get attacked, but if we go in groups, we’re more likely to be attacked individually.”

“Hmm…” Mike thought about it for a moment. “How about two groups of two, and the other three stay here?”

Matt sighed. “Sure, why not. I’ll go look for them.”

“I’ll go with Matt.” Sam offered.

“Mike and I will go.” Juliet said. “You three stay and guard the safe room. That sound good?”

Emily nodded. “We’ll keep the pistol. That way we can fight someone off if they attack us.”

Mike nodded, and turned to Juliet. The two exchanged a brief glance before turning and leaving the safe room, going to check the eastern side of the basement. Matt and Sam left soon after, locking the safe room door behind them. Beth, Emily, and Chris were then left alone in the safe room, not that they exactly minded.

Chris took a seat on one of the chairs in the safe room, pulled out the notes back out and looked over them again, reading them in the order they were found.

_‘Safe room in the back. Follow the map. -Someone you know.’_

There had been a crudely drawn map of the basement attached to that one.

_‘Armed pistol inside. Seven rounds. Use wisely. -Someone you know.’_

_‘Left extra ammo outside. -Someone you know.’_

_‘Matt and Sam are safe. -Someone you know.’_

_‘Don’t leave the safe room. -Someone you know.’_

_‘Stryker getting desperate. Be cautious. -Someone you know.’_

The last one worried him. If Stryker wasn’t desperate before, then what does desperate Stryker look like? Chris was not sure he exactly wanted to know. Chewing his lip, he thought back to the shed. It had only been, what, an hour? Hour and a half? Yeah, that sounded right. An hour and a half since Connor died. His screams of agony had been permanently carved into Chris’ memory, and every time he closed his eyes, he had flashes of the bloodied corpse of Connor hanging on the wall, saw still moving and splattering blood everywhere.

It had been truly gruesome. He was just grateful he had not had to witness it head on like Josh and Ashley had. Chris could only imagine the pain Josh was going through. He could not picture being in Josh’s shoes. Ashley and Josh, hung like meat on a wall… Having to choose who would live… He wasn’t sure he could even make a choice like that. Josh’s mental state was already fragile enough without all of this…

Needless to say, Chris was anxious about the wellbeing of his best friend. Josh had been eerily quiet since the events of the shed. Perfectly understandable, but it was still worrying to see his usually chatty friend quiet like that. Chris glanced down at his jacket, specifically at the dried splotches of Connor’s blood. Chris didn’t think humans even had that much blood in them. He held his head in his hands, head pounding because of the evening’s stress, and he rocked back and forth slightly to calm himself.

He did not notice Emily pat his shoulder, nor her begin to speak.

“Listen, I know… I know this is hard, but we have to be strong. For Connor, you know? And… for each other, I guess. I- I don’t think Connor would want you to give up. He’d want you to face this head on.” Chris began to tune in when he heard Connor’s name. “Okay, I know I’m not great at this pep talk thing, but we’ll be okay, alright?”

Chris nodded, sniffling and smiling at Emily.

 

 

 

Juliet was really getting tired of chloroform.

Not two minutes after they had left the safe room, she and Mike had been ambushed by Stryker’s men and taken out from behind, despite Mike and her fighting back. The guards had been too fast, and the chloroform was too strong for her to resist. They had been dragged very unceremoniously across the basement floor and tied to metal chairs, much like the one she had been strapped to earlier. However, there were now leather restraints on her hands and ankles.

When she awoke, she looked around the room she was now in, ignoring the strong thudding of her pulse in her head. The room was dark, save for a light bulb hanging behind her on a piece of old yarn. Mike was bound to the chair to her right, still out cold. Josh was on her left, and he was out as well. She could faintly head Ashley crying behind her.

“Ashley?” She called out quietly, trying not to worsen her headache.

“J-Juliet?” Ashley called back, voice cracking. “Are you there?”

“Ashley, I’m right here.” She turned her head back as far as she could, seeing Ashley in a chair directly behind her. Jess was slumped over in a chair to her left, and Hannah was in one to her right. Empty chairs were arranged in a circle, filling in the space between the already occupied ones. There were five empty seats left. It looked like they were the only two awake.

“God, Juliet, we have to get out of here!” Ashley cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had a black eye, and her lip had been busted. The bleeding had stopped a while ago, it seemed.

“Don’t worry, Ashley, we’re going to be alright…” Juliet said calmly, trying in vain to get Ashley to calm herself.

“God, we’re gonna die! We’re gonna die just like Connor did…!” She sobbed, frantically looking around the room for a way out.

“Ashley, listen to me.” Juliet’s voice was stern.

Ashley quieted herself, listening.

“We’re going to get out of here. No one is going to die, alright? We’re going to be fine… We just need to stay strong, okay? Can we do that?”

Ashley nodded, not looking back at Juliet. Juliet sighed.

“First matter of business is these restraints…” She pulled at the tight restraints, but she stopped when the bruises on her wrists began to hurt. Right, those were there from earlier. No use in struggling, then. She sat up straight in her seat, an unimpressed look crossing her features. Might as well wait and see what Stryker had in store for them.


	8. Chapter Seven: A Simple Game of Roulette

**Chapter Seven: A Simple Game of Roulette**   
_Gore warning_

 

_He hated to admit it, but he had seen poor Emily’s death coming this time around._

_As soon as she walked into the safe room with the wendigo bite on her shoulder, he knew she was a goner. Not because of the mark directly, but because of overactive imaginations in situations of high stress. And the involvement of a pistol._

_“Mike, man, come on! Think about this!” Connor tried to plead with him, voice steady despite the tense atmosphere. “We can’t be sure the bite will turn her into a wendigo!”_

_Mike shook his head, holding the gun tight in his bandaged hand. Connor’s head pounded as the stress added onto the bruise on his cheekbone. The scratch above his brow began to ache as well, though the dull pain was unable to distract him._

_“But what if it does!” Mike yelled, still holding the gun up to Emily’s head. “What if she’s just a ticking time bomb, waiting to turn on us and kill us!?”_

_“Mike, please! You know me, I-I wouldn’t-” Emily tried to reason with him._

_“We- we can’t take any risks, Emily.” Mike said sternly, interrupting her thought._

_He took his aim and went to pull the trigger when Connor rushed forward and tried to take the gun from his hands. However, he was a split second too late, and he cringed as the bullet entered Emily’s skull through her left eye. The eye exploded in a small shower of blood, covering the left side of her face. She screamed briefly before the bullet entered her brain, and her jaw hung loosely. Blood slowly dripped out from her mouth, dropping down onto her grey shirt and staining the cotton fabric._

_Ashley screamed, covering her mouth with her hands as she stumbled back. Sam gasped, and Chris held Ashley by her shoulders, eyes wide._

_“Holy shit…” Mike breathed, dropping the pistol on one of the tables in the saferoom. “Holy shit, oh my god… I can’t believe I just did that…! Holy shit…!”_

_Connor suppressed a groan of frustration, glancing at Emily’s body as the teens panicked. He sighed, cracking his knuckles out of habit before walking up to her and picking up her still warm body bridal style._

_“What’re you doing?!” Ashley questioned, still horrified._

_“Might as well bury her properly before I reset again.” He called over his shoulder as he left the safe room with Emily’s body, leaving the remaining three teens baffled and confused as to what the hell he was talking about._

_“But- but what about the wendigos?!” Sam yelled back at him, ready to follow him into whatever stupid situation he was getting himself into._

_He paused, standing near the doorway. “It’s fine, Sam. I won’t die. I can’t after all.” He chuckled bitterly as he made his way outside._

 

 

It had been ten minutes of searching, yet Sam and Matt had found nothing. No signs of anyone being in the basement recently, aside from themselves. Sam was beginning to want to give up, but she kept going forward. She had to make sure her friends were safe, for her sake and Connor’s.

While searching through a supply closet, Sam was so engrossed in searching that she did not notice Matt getting oddly quiet behind her. She did notice, however, when a towel soaked in some liquid was shoved in front of her face and was pressed up against her mouth and nose. She also noticed herself weakly fighting back with the steak knife from the kitchen. She especially noticed when the world began to grow black and she fell limply against whoever was holding the cloth to her face.

 

 

  
Juliet had been doing a successful job of keeping Ashley calm until the gunshots rang out.

Sobs began to sound again, much louder and more frantic than they had before, along with mutterings of “Oh god no” and “Please, get me out of here!”. Her panic further rose when Matt and Sam were dragged into the room by Stryker’s guards. Adrenaline rushed in Juliet’s veins as she saw them get strapped to their respective chairs, with Sam tied down between Josh and Hannah with two empty chairs on either side of her, and Matt strapped down next to Mike.

“Fuck you! Just leave us alone!” Ashley yelled at them as they were leaving.

One of them turned and slapped her, causing her to cry out in pain. “Shut it, you little bitch! Or Stryker’ll kill you first!”

She reluctantly shut up after that, glaring at them as they left the room.

“Oh god, please tell me this isn’t happening…!” She mumbled, words blurred by sobs. “God, I’m so scared, please let me out!”

“Ashley, Ashley!” Juliet called out in vain. She sighed as she realized Ashley would not calm down any time soon.

“Sam!” She called out, trying to stir Sam from her unconscious state. “Sam, please. Wake up.”

Sam groaned and looked up, trying to figure out what happened.

“Sam, over here! It’s Juliet.”

She turned her head to look at Juliet. “Jay…? What…?”

“Stryker. He has something planned, and I really don’t like it.”

“Oh god, the gun! What was the gun?!” Ashley said, turning her head to Juliet. “W-why was there a gunshot?!”

“You guys heard it, too?” Sam asked.

“It sounded like it came from the safe room.” Juliet glared towards the door.

“Oh god, no! No no no!” Ashley cried. “God, this is insane! This isn’t happening! Please tell me this isn’t happening!”

There were sounds of struggle coming from the direction of the safe room, and Chris’ cries could barely be heard. Sam began to thrash at her restraints.

“Chris! Chris, oh my god, no!” Ashley cried out, sobs wracking her body. “Oh god…”

Soon, more guards returned, carrying the unconscious bodies of Emily and Beth and a thrashing Chris. They dropped Emily and Beth and forced Chris into the chair on Josh’s right. He struggled, but they eventually got him tied down. Emily was placed between Jess and Matt, and Beth was placed next to her sister. The guards laughed to themselves before leaving the room.

“Chris! Are you okay?!” Ashley asked as soon as they had left.

“Not really, no. They shot me in the shoulder.”

“Shit! That’s what the gunshot was!” Sam whispered.

“Yeah. They forced the door down and chloroformed Em and Beth. I put up a fight, so they grabbed the pistol from me and shot me in the shoulder.”

“Chris, everything will be alright. Trust me, okay? I’ll heal you later.” Juliet said in a calm tone.

He nodded, biting back the pain in his shoulder. The others began to groan, finally waking up. Josh looked around, more disoriented than the rest of them. However, when he came to his senses, he began thrashing around wildly, desperate to get out of his restraints.

“Josh, are you okay?!” Chris asked frantically.

“Fuck, fuck! LEMME OUTTA HERE YOU MANIAC!” He yelled, disregarding Chris.

“All the seats are filled…” Juliet muttered. “What now?”

“Glad you asked, little bird.” Ashley yelped when the voice of William Stryker sounded throughout the room.

He grinned sadistically, walking in from the door everyone was dragged through. He donned a light brown, worn trenchcoat over a black button up shirt, collar popped up. His hand shot forward as he approached Juliet, grabbing her chin forcefully, making her look at him.

“Oh, don’t be frightened little bird. Pretty, little Blackbird.” She recoiled at the taunting way he said her nickname. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

“Who’s to say I’m frightened?” She said sternly, meeting Stryker’s eyes.

Stryker let go of her and walked back to a small table behind him. “We’re going to play another game. You remember our game earlier? The one in the shed?”

“You! You’re the bastard that killed Connor!!” Josh screamed, thrashing around again.

“I thought that game was quite fun.” Stryker mockingly said, disregarding Josh. “Oh, most fun indeed.”

He turned to look at everyone. “I’m really doing you all a favor, you know. Saving you from these vile mutants. This one in particular.” He scowled at Juliet. “Dreaded thing. And I created it, too! Such a disappointment.”

“You didn’t create me, you mewling quim.” Her eyes narrowed. “You forced metal on my bones.”

“I did you a favor! I gave you the power to destroy those who hated you!”

“You mean anyone who opposed you.” Juliet glared. “You forged me into a weapon to unleash on the other mutants; you wanted me to cause mass genocide! A ticking time bomb, lying in wait.”

Stryker glared daggers back at her. He reached behind him, picking up a gun from the table. Juliet’s eyes widened, but she kept herself composed. The others did not. Josh began to panic, his breathing quickening. Ashley began to sob again, as did Jess and Chris, though he tried not to show it. Emily yelped, a panicked expression on her face.

“This is one of my favorite games, you know.” He opened the ammunition, checking it. “You know this game? It’s called Russian Roulette.”

“Oh god…” Emily murmured.

“This gun holds eight rounds. There is only one bullet in it, though. I wonder who will die first?”

Juliet glared. “So that’s what you’re planning? Kill us off one by one?”

Stryker laughed. “Exactly.”

He checked his watch. “6: 45 A.M. One hour until dawn. The police aren’t coming for you. You’re all going to die here, and it’s all because of her.”

“No one’s coming…?” Jess whispered, eyes wide.

“That’s right, Jessica. No one will save you. You’re all going to die tonight.”

Tears began to steadily stream down Chris’ cheeks, as well as Hannah’s. Matt began taking in quick, shallow breaths as he tugged at the leather restraints on his wrists and ankles.

“Oh my god, oh god no…!” Hannah muttered.

He smirked as he waltzed around the circle, trying to decide who he would terrorize first. After a moment, he stopped in front of Emily.

“Dear, sweet Emily. All bark and no bite.” He held the gun in front of her, pressing it to her forehead. She began to quietly cry, her breathing quickening and heart pounding loudly.

She flinched as he pulled the trigger, but when nothing happened, she sighed in relief.

“Congratulations, Emily. You survived round one.”

Emily choked back a sob, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. Stryker gave her a smile before resuming his walk around the circle.

“Okay, okay, everything’s gonna be okay…” Josh whispered to himself.

“Bethany.” Stryker said, causing Josh to freeze in terror. “So nice of you to come see me again. I wonder if you’ll be as lucky this time around?”

The click of the trigger sounded again, but nothing happened. Josh audibly sighed in relief. Stryker seemed to pay it no mind. He walked past Sam and stopped in front of Chris, not bothering to say anything before holding the gun to his head.

“No Chris! Oh my god, no!” Ashley cried.

“No?” Stryker asked, pulling the gun away. “Why not, my dear?”

“Please, please don’t kill us…!”

Stryker seemed to hesitate before holding the gun to Chris’ head again and pulling the trigger. Ashley further sobbed at the sound, but she was relieved when nothing happened.

Stryker frowned at the gun for a moment, turning it in his hand. He sighed and moved the gun in Sam’s direction disdainfully. There was no emotion on his face as he pulled the trigger again. Nothing happened. Juliet took in a deep breath. Four rounds out of eight. Halfway through round one. She released the breath she held, shutting her eyes for a brief moment before opening them and focusing her gaze back on Stryker.

Stryker moved to Jess and pulled it again.

Nothing happened.

He moved to Matt.

Nothing happened.

Two more rounds.

He moved to Mike.

Nothing happened.

Stryker smiled as he stopped in front of Josh. Empty tears were streaming down the teen’s cheeks as the gun was pressed to his forehead.

“I suppose you know what this means, Mr. Washington.” Stryker said tauntingly.

Ashley, Hannah, and Chris were all sobbing, begging Stryker not to do it. Josh stared at the gun, breaths quickening and hitching. He muttered something to himself.

“God, please, this isn’t real…” He had said.

“Oh, this is very real, Joshua. Goodbye.” Stryker said, waiting a brief moment before pulling the trigger. Beth began to cry as well, leaning over in her seat as she did. The sound of a firing bullet went off…

But nothing happened.

Stryker, suddenly baffled and angered, fired the gun again. This time, there was only a clicking noise. He kept clicking the gun, trying to get the bullet into Josh’s skull. Josh looked up in confusion, not understanding why he wasn’t dead. There was a brief moment when nothing happened. Stryker growled at the gun and threw it across the room in frustration.

“I don’t get it!! There was a bullet in there!! Why aren’t you dead?!” He cried, clutching his hands into fists.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” A distorted voice said from behind. “Did I mention I tend to cheat?”

_SHING!_

Four long, metal talons tore clean through Stryker, right above the pelvic bone, in one quick motion. Blood splattered from the wound, staining the concrete floor. Stryker slowly looked down in confusion, touching his newly acquired wound and the long tears in his clothing. He coughed up blood, and it dribbled down his chin. Steady streams of blood poured out from his waist, running down his legs and staining his jeans.

“W...what?” He said, looking behind him. “I don’t… get it…? How…?”

“It was a fun game, Stryker, but it’s over now. Your men are dead, killed by my hand, all your traps have failed, and the X Men have secured everything you had on us. I’m afraid your mutant-hunting days are over.” The distorted voice deadpanned. “Though, they were truly over the day you made an enemy of me.”

He fell face down on the floor, blood quickly pooling beneath him. Chris screamed at the sight, not paying much mind to the figure dressed in all black behind Stryker’s body. Some of the other teens gasped, trying their best to get a look at their masked savior. Mike’s eyes widened as he looked at the stranger with caution, uncertain of his intentions. Josh stared at the masked man, staring at the empty eye sockets of the mask.

“What…?” He whispered.

“Stryker didn’t understand that you never,” He stepped on Stryker’s head. “Ever. Fuck with a mutant.”

The man’s voice was intriguing to the group. It sounded like there were two people talking at once behind a mask. Well duh, he was wearing one. But… the voices were both familiar, and they had a faint accent… A man and a woman… Both talking at once… What?

“Is… is that you?” Josh asked as the masked man knelt in front of Juliet, untying her from the chair.

“You’re going to need to be more specific.” The masked man said, moving to untie Josh. “You could mean many things. Could mean a hero clad in all black. Could mean a madman, a masked savior. Hell, a masked madman. Or madwoman. You never know.”

“But… but you were-” Sam said.

“Sawed in half? Dead where I hung on a wooden plank? An abandoned corpse, left behind to rot? Indeed I was.” The masked man said with a thinly veiled cynicism to his tone, interrupting Sam curtly. Chris was the next one untied.

“B-But how?! How are you alive?!” Mike asked.

“We saw you die, how did you survive?!” Ashley questioned, a panic in her tone.

“I often ask myself that. Some situations I really shouldn’t be able to survive. And yet, here I stand.” His tone sounded unconcerned. Then Sam was untied, and then Hannah. “This- this isn’t uncommon for me, haha. I tend to die a lot, but never permanently. Oh no, never permanently. I’m never that lucky.”

Juliet rubbed at her wrists, careful not to press on her bruises. “You’re late, you know.”

“Oh like you’re one to talk, Blackbird. Leaving me to fight wendigos and idiots all by myself. Cruel thing to do to a person. Terribly rude.”

“I’d have helped if I weren’t tied to a chair with a gun to my head.”

The masked man laughed dryly, and Josh could hear a slight strain in his distorted voice. He muttered something unintelligible to himself, cracking his knuckles as he did. Juliet chuckled at whatever he had said, seemingly catching the stranger’s cynical comment.

A minute later, everyone had been freed. Chris and Ashley held each other, checking for wounds and hugging each other in relief. Jessica was checking the others as well, not paying much mind to Mike’s concern as she held Emily by her shoulders. Hannah and Beth were hugging, crying out of relief at their survival. The masked man had moved to Stryker’s computer console he had left open, typing away, but not removing his mask.

“Why a kabuki mask?” Juliet asked, checking the others for injuries while talking to the masked man.

“Movie reference. Thought I’d humor myself.”

Juliet looked up at the masked man, glaring. “You seriously made Disney reference while saving our arses and fighting wendigos.” She deadpanned.

The masked man chuckled. “Of course. Have you just met me?”

She sighed in frustration. “I’ve created an idiot.”

“Nice to see you finally caught on to that.”

“Connor…” Josh said, reaching out to grab the masked man’s shoulder. The man shuddered at hearing the name. He brushed him off harshly, not turning to look at him. The masked man balled his hands in fists and shook. He punched the wall beside him, causing Josh to jump.

“That’s exactly how he said it last time… Same fucking tone and everything…Hahah. Has the universe decided to further torture me? What point is there in that?” He murmured to himself, voice becoming more unstable as he spoke. No one else could understand what he had said.

“Fuck… fucking… shit… Hahh… They think you’re delusional, Connor. Losing your mind, huh? God, just put a fucking bullet in your head already… Oh wait, that doesn’t work. Nope nope, never has never will, no matter how many times you fucking try. Haahhahhaaa...”

“Connor, please.” Josh said, ignoring Connor’s ramblings.

He stayed silent, pausing his work. His fingers hovered above the keyboard, not daring to move an inch. His whole body had frozen, save for the even breaths he took in as he waited for any sign of movement. Josh reached for the mask, only to be pushed away by the man’s gloved hand. He shook his head.

“You wouldn’t- you don’t want to see me, Josh…” He muttered. “You’d never want to see this…Haah…”

“Connor…” Josh gently turned the masked man around. He hung his head in shame, turning it to the side and refusing to look at Josh. “Please, look at me.”

Reluctantly, he looked up, flinching as Josh pushed his hood back and gently pulled at the sides of his mask. His skin was pale, he had dark bags under his eyes, and his irises glowed vibrantly with the blue of the Tesseract’s power in the darkened room. A dark purple bruise was above his left brow. He also had a black eye on the right side of his face, and his brows were knit together in sorrow. Josh could see various cuts and bruises scattered on his forehead, some still bleeding slightly. Overall, he just looked broken.

Josh set the mask on the console, and as he went to pull down the cloth mask covering Connor’s nose and mouth, Connor’s hand shot up and stopped him. Everyone held their breath as Connor gently held Josh’s wrist in place. He could not meet Josh’s eyes.

“You… you especially don’t want to see that… No one does… I know I don’t…” He whispered, voice still muffled slightly by the cloth. Now it was only his voice; the distortion had stopped. The others watched in silent anxiety.

“Why not?” Josh asked in a hushed tone.

“...I’m… damnit…” Connor looked at the floor. “Josh… you have no idea what all I’ve been through tonight…”

“I’ve got a vague clue. Juliet… she told us about the resets…”

Connor was silent for a minute before nodding. “I know… Hacked into Stryker’s security system, I could see and hear what was going on the whole time… Saw all of you running around, so fast…Pitter patter pitter patter, all over the place… Hah…”

Connor looked Josh in the eye for a brief moment before turning away. He let go of Josh’s wrist and cracked his knuckles, looking up at the ceiling.

“Did she- did she tell you about the wendigos?” He said to the group.

“Y-yeah, she did…” Chris said.

“Did she tell you how you become a wendigo?”

“No…?” Sam said uncertainly.

“This mountain, it- it’s cursed, you know. The spirit of the wendigo lives here, the damned thing… Mining accident happened up here bout fifty years ago, trapped the workers inside the sanatorium and the mines connected to it. Killed about fifteen of the poor fuckers. The rest were trapped. Forced into cannibalism to survive. That’s when it gets ya, when you start eatin’ each other. All humanity you have left is gone, and that’s when it strikes. When you’re at your most vulnerable.” Connor chuckled dryly.

“But… who would do that?” Hannah asked. “Who in their right mind would eat someone?!”

Connor laughed to himself. “Funny you’d be the one to say that… But you see, that’s the thing; they weren’t in their right minds. The spirit wants someone desperate, off his rocker. Not a lot of food down in those mines, ya know. There’s water, sure, but no food. Those miners… well…” Connor sighed, then chuckled. “They weren’t the only ones to get trapped down there.”

“You did?!” Jess exclaimed after a moment, gasping.

Connor nodded. “In the second to last timeline. Got all of you out safely, but I got dragged into the mines by one of ‘em while trying to save Sam and Mike. Y’all got rescued an’ everything. Don’t know exactly why, but it didn’t try to kill me, so I’ll take that for what it’s worth. It… it brought me the bodies of the rangers that had tried to find me… And god, I was already going insane… Fuck, I already am, ya know? ...I don’t know what came over me… The spirit forced itself in and…” Connor sighed. “You can piece it together.”

“So you’re a… a wendigo?” Matt hesitantly asked.

“Not really. Only partially transformed, got their abilities and all that, and it’s enough for ‘em to smell me as one of their own, but Juliet came in and got me out of there before I could fully transform. Got me exorcised and all. Some Native American method, I think. Came to my senses about a week later. My… my face was all fucked up. Scratched and bruised to hell. Pretty sure it scarred permanently. And… god, my mouth…”

“Is that why you’ve still got the mask on?”

“Getting to that, but yes. When Stryker’s men attacked you in the living room, I’d heard wendigos outside, and I went to fight them. Burned the fuckers to hell. But… one of ‘em could smell the spirit on me and scratched at my mouth… The spell I had repairing it faded instantly… and my shape shifting isn’t letting me cover it up for some reason… I ain’t bleedin’ or anything, but… well...”

Connor hesitated before pulling the cloth mask down and turning back to the group. His right cheek had been torn open; at least, there were scars from it, and the corner of his mouth extended farther than it should have. Long, sharp teeth poked out from that side, resting against the scarred skin. They were uneven in length and unaligned, resembling a wild creature’s teeth more than a person’s. The rest of his teeth were pointed as well, but they were the proper length of human teeth, and they were still in align. On the left side of his mouth, a fang like tooth rested on his lower lip. A long, thin, jagged scar ran from just above the end of his brow down next to the corner of his eye and ending a little ways above the cheek scars. His skin was paler than normal, making his dark freckles stand out more than they usually did. His hair was disheveled, lazily pushed back on his head and messed up from the hood.

“Now I look like the fucked up freak I am, at least…” He chuckled dryly, refusing to meet eyes with anyone.

Josh stepped forward, grabbing Connor’s shoulders and causing him to look up. “Connor Adrian Nuno, you listen here! You’re not a freak, you never were! We all care about you so fucking much, you hear?” His voice wavered for a moment. “God, we were fucking _DEVASTATED_ when we saw you die! You were dead, for fucks sake! I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for that… But that’s beside the point. Connor… just because your face is a little messed up doesn’t mean we don’t love you.” Tears had begun to stream steadily down Connor’s tired face.

“Dammit, Connor, you got those scars trying to help us, save us even! I’d be dead in a mine if it weren’t for you…” He brushed some of Connor’s tears away with his thumbs. The scars felt strange and rough to his thumbs.“Connor… It’s okay now. We’re okay, you’re okay… We’re all okay, and we’re alive.”

“Fuck…” Connor muttered, voice cracking slightly.

Connor enveloped his smaller boyfriend in a tight embrace, tears flowing down both of their faces. One by one, the rest of the group came over and wrapped their arms around the pair, wordlessly showing Connor that what Josh had said was true.

Juliet, however, did not join them, choosing instead to fiddle around with Stryker’s console. All of his files were there, records of experiments and test subjects. Everything about the Wolverine and X-23 experiments. She glanced over it all, searching for her file. It did not take her long to find it.

_‘24604_   
_DRAECANE JULIET_   
_ALIAS: CATALYST_

_Adamantium fused to skeleton, operation successful. Strange power source caused explosion, let her escape. Killed twelve guards. Went to X Men._

_Exterminate on sight.’_

The rest of her file was the specifics of her experiment process. Where the adamantium was purchased, all the scientists involved, the procedure itself. Photographs of the machines used, as well as her during the process. It took less than a minute for her to wipe herself and any information on Connor from the console, thus erasing their involvement in history.

She smiled to herself after she saw the file was deleted. One less thing for her to worry about.

Juliet glanced at the group, a concerned expression on her features. Connor had gone through way too much in such a short amount of time. It made perfect sense that his mind was deteriorating, even if only for the moment. She was rather confused on why the Tesseract was preventing him from hiding his newly found disfigurement. What was the reason for this? Some sick lesson for him to learn? She sighed, pushing the thoughts aside.

“God, I- I just… I’m so sorry…” Connor choked out, gripping onto Josh’s shirt. “Fuck… I couldn’t even protect you guys… Again… and again… You all died before my eyes…” He began mumbling. “Emily shot in the eye by Mike, Matt hung on a meat hook, Jessica’s jaw ripped off, Ashley and Chris decapitated, Josh’s head crushed by the wendigo, Sam impaled, Mike burned alive…”

His voice became a bit clearer. “Again and again you’d all die, and it’d be my fault every time… Hahah…” He looked up at the ceiling. “Is this a punishment? Huh? For all the shit I’ve done?! For all the people I’ve killed?! I’ve tried… I've tried to repent… Help people, do good… Make up for all the lives I’ve taken and destroyed… Fuck… Just- just let me burn in hell already…”

“You know I can’t allow that.” Juliet said sternly.

“I know but… just… Fuck…”

The group parted, letting Juliet reach Connor and wrap her arms around him. He choked back a sob, trying to calm himself down. He still had things to do, after all. She squeezed his shoulders lightly before gently grasping his hand.

“How many wendigos are left?” Juliet asked.

“Four… no, three… I set that one on fire… Or was it four?” Connor muttered.

“Where?”

“Mines… Down where they dragged me last time...” He sniffled, cracking his neck and standing up straight. “Let’s do this.”

“Wait, seriously?!” Josh exclaimed, startling the duo. “You were dead for hours and now you’re going out to fight?!”

Connor nodded, making eye contact. “Josh, if we don’t go kill them, they’ll kill all of you.”

“But- you can’t go in there by yourselves!” Chris cried.

“You really think you’re prepared to fight a wendigo, nonetheless three?” Connor deadpanned.

“Please, we don’t want to lose you two!” Ashley said, clinging onto Juliet’s arm.

“I… I think they’re right.” Sam said, catching everyone’s attention.

“You- you can’t be serious, Sam!” Josh said, voice cracking. “They could die!”

“No, no we can’t.” Connor muttered. “If a saw couldn’t kill me, there’s no way three wendigos could… No no no...”

Juliet nodded. “Besides, two Infinity Stones are going after these things. They stand no chance against us. We’ll be okay.”

Ashley reluctantly let go of Juliet’s arm, instead walking back to where Chris was and grabbing his hand. He gently squeezed it, watching as the rest of the group slowly nodded and agreed with what the two were doing. With the exception of Josh, that is.

“C’mon, please. Don’t leave me all alone… Not again…” He whispered pitifully.

Connor let go of Juliet’s hand, instead cupping Josh’s face in his gloved hands. Josh looked into Connor’s gem like eyes, taking in the stunning blue color that contrasted greatly against his dark skin. Connor smiled slightly, brushing his thumb lightly over Josh’s cheekbone.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be okay, yeah? I always am… Just- just be okay when I come back, yeah? Okay? Stay alive for me.” He whispered.

Josh nodded, leaning forward to softly kiss Connor. Connor in turn pulled him closer, wrapping his arm around his waist and pressing himself against the shorter man. Josh cradled Connor’s head, running his fingers over the Latino man’s short, black hair. After a moment, Connor broke the kiss, smiling at Josh and placing a lingering kiss on his forehead.

“I love you.” He whispered.

“I love you, too…” Josh whispered back, taking a deep breath and stepping back. He watched as Connor smiled at him and turned away, following Juliet through the door and out of the basement. It seemed like it all happened in slow motion. Sam rested a hand on Josh’s shoulder, smiling at him sympathetically.

“I trust them, Josh. It’ll be okay.” She said, causing him to look up at her.

“Yeah?” He quietly asked.

Sam nodded. “Yeah. Now let’s all go upstairs and clean ourselves off.”

The group nodded in agreement, heading out of the basement towards the main floor of the cabin. They needed a fresh change of clothes and a shower after all of this.


	9. Chapter Eight: Where One Door Closes, Another Opens

**Chapter Eight: Where One Door Closes, Another Opens**   
_Nudity warning_

 

Snow had begun to fall again as the two exited the cabin. Juliet shuddered at the cold, what with her being so ill equipped for the cold weather. Leggings and a sweatshirt are not the most warming clothes in the world, after all. Connor, on the other hand, did not seem bothered at all by the biting cold. His eyes were set dead ahead as the two navigated their way to the mines.

He was silent for the majority of the walk, which while unsurprising, still bothered Juliet.

“Connor…” She started.

He did not take his gaze off of the path as he hummed in response.

“Are you certain you’ll be able to handle being down there again?”

He hesitated. “I’m… I’m not sure, Jay. I mean, it’ll be different this time, what with you here and all, but still…”

“Exactly how long were trapped in there?”

“Three and a half weeks. Rangers tried to rescue me, but the wendigos got to ‘em first. God, I was so fucking hungry…”

She rested a hand on his shoulder. “I know, but it’s alright now-”

“Is it though?” He said, interrupting her and stopping in his tracks. “Is it really? Juliet, I ate two people. That’s- that’s fucked up. Even for me. My face is fucked up, my head’s even worse, just… Damnit…”

Juliet sighed. “I know. But hey, it’s all in the past now. We’re going to kill the remaining wendigos, and be rid of the spirit.”

“How?”

“Trap it in the Fade.”

“Ah… yeah, that makes sense. Yeah…”

She smiled, patting his shoulder. “You alright?”

“No.”

“Will fighting wendigos help?”

“Maybe.”

“Then let’s go kick some wendigo arse.”

He smiled briefly before continuing down the path to the mines.

The mines were just as dank and dreary as the last time he had been in them. Being armed with a pistol and having his god-like best friend at his side made it a little easier, but it was still difficult to be back in there.

 

 

 

_A chill ran down his spine as the wendigo dropped the rangers’ corpses at his feet. He was huddled in the corner of the cavern, knees drawn up to his chest and hands fidgeting in front of them. His skin had gone pale, and even though he had plenty of water at his disposal, he was dehydrated and starving. The jacket he had donned was torn up and dusted with ice, doing little to help him._

_It had been a long three weeks. First he had been tossed to the back of the mines, to a place where he was always under the watchful eye of the wendigo. Then he had had to scavenge around the cavern to find a reliable water source, which wasn’t easy when you have a suspicious wendigo watching your every movement. And then the frostbite had kicked in. There was little to nothing he could do about it, seeing as the wendigos feared fire and there were no reliable sources of clothing or heating deep in the mines. Their only source of light was the rays of moonlight that managed to break through the rocks of the mines._

_His stomach growled in hunger as the corpses were dropped at his feet. Connor looked up to meet the wendigo’s eyes, staring at it in confusion. It made a noise similar to a dog and motioned at the bodies with its bony hand._

_Connor made no sounds as he trembled like a leaf, eyes shifting from the bodies to the wendigo and back again. The wendigo made another noise, trying to encourage Connor to eat, yet he did not move forward. It waited a moment before nudging the body forward with its head._

_Connor took in the mangled corpse’s appearance. The ranger’s uniform had been torn to shreds, and their head had been decapitated. The head had been long since abandoned. There were deep scratches along their chest and what was left of their neck, and blood poured from the wounds. This was a fresh kill._

_“Why am I still alive…?” Connor asked, voice wavering. His dry throat ached when he spoke. “Why haven’t you killed me yet?”_

_The wendigo made a noise similar to a whine and pawed at the corpse again. Connor looked it in its milky white eyes._

_“Can you even understand what I’m saying?”_

_The creature seemed to hesitate before nodding. Connor chuckled bitterly._

_“That’s because you were one of the miners, weren’t you? You got trapped down here and were forced to eat your friends to survive.”_

_The wendigo growled, but made no other movements. Connor paused a moment before continuing._

_“You’re lonely, aren’t you? Down here by yourself for so long. Doesn’t exactly give you an excuse to terrorize my friends, you know.”_

_The wendigo made another noise, as if it was trying to speak to him. Connor seemed to understand what the creature was trying to say._

_Then his hunger kicked in. It had been three weeks since his last meal, since he had eaten anything, and it was starting to get to him. He was weak, he was dehydrated and scared, down alone in the mines with no access to his magic or any means of communication. He was beginning to lose hope._

_That’s when everything went dark._

 

 

 

  
Water dripped from the ceilings, hitting the two every once in awhile. Juliet’s eyes were constantly moving, searching for any signs of the god forsaken creatures. She sighed after not seeing anything for a long while, purposefully making her footsteps louder. Connor followed her motion, trying to draw attention to themselves.

It was not long before Connor heard the low growling and short screeches of the wendigos. He growled in response, wendigo instincts beginning to show themselves. Baring his monstrous teeth and unsheathing his claws, he balanced his weight on the balls of his feet, leaning over slightly into an athletic stance.

Juliet took the pistol, holding it in front of her with both hands. She glared, waiting for the wendigos to show themselves. There was a moment of near dead silence, with the only sounds being Connor’s soft growl and the drips of water falling from the ceiling. She noticed movement in the corner of her eye and turned, seeing a wendigo stalking in the shadows. She swayed slightly on the balls of her feet, recalling that that was what had allowed the wendigo Connor to see her in the alternate timeline.

Connor swiftly moved in front of her, claws fully extended. The wendigo looked confused for a brief moment, but it did not hesitate to leap out at Connor, jaw open and screeching. Connor swiped at it with his claws, catching it on the chest. It fell to the ground, grey skin now torn open. It hissed, leaping at Connor again.

“Connor, get back!” Juliet commanded.

Connor swiftly did as he was told, the wendigo in pursuit behind him. Juliet quickly unleashed a fire spell on the creature, narrowly avoiding Connor in the process. Connor yelped, but managed to get just out of the spell’s path. The wendigo cried out in pain, and Juliet seized her opportunity and fired two bullets into the creature’s head. It fell to the ground, and she opened up a small rift into the Fade to trap it.

While the two briefly and silently celebrated, the creature’s friends did not take the news well. The one of the remaining wendigos jumped down from the ceiling, trying to take Connor out from his left side. He spun around, claws still extended, hitting it as it swiped at him. The creature caught him in the chest, but he showed no signs of pain as his blood splattered on the wendigo. He shoved it back into the Rift, and Juliet clenched her fist to close it.

Juliet and Connor panted, eyes flickering around to spot the last of the wendigos. A rock fell behind Juliet, causing both to whirl around towards the sound. The final wendigo took its opportunity and swiftly leapt at Connor, catching him on the neck and lifting him up in the air.

Connor cried out in surprise and pain.

“Juliet!” He screamed, thrashing around in the wendigo’s clawed hand. Fear was clear in his eyes, and flashbacks of being dragged off in previous timelines paralyzed him in fear.

It screeched, not bothering to glance at Juliet before taking off deep into the mines with Connor screaming the whole time. Juliet whirled around, eyes wide and panicked.

“Connor!” She screamed, voice cracking, and she took off after the wendigo.

The wendigo had the upper hand, navigating the maze-like mines with ease as Juliet scrambled after it. She was not paying attention to her feet, and her shoe got caught on a large rock. She tumbled to the ground, striking her head on a piece of wood.

Groaning, she clutched her head and sat up, trying to shake the disorientation that the fall caused. Connor screamed again, calling out her name desperately. His voice was strained, and each cry got fainter and fainter. His voice sounded slightly distorted in her dazed state.

Juliet shook her head and scrambled to her feet, chasing after the wendigo and venturing deep into the mines. The sound of her footsteps resonated throughout the echoey mines, and it was starting to drown out Connor’s faint voice and the wendigo’s screeching.

She paused as she came into a large cavern with a high ceiling. There was a pool of water in the middle, separating the two halves of the room. Water dripped down from stalactites on the ceiling, falling into the large pool below and echoing eerily. Juliet panted heavily, trying to catch her breath as she searched for her friend.

Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and listened intently, trying desperately to hear any trace of Connor or the creature that had taken him. The Aether burned within her chest, and the surging of power flowed through her veins. A dark red light shined out from below her collarbone and reached out through her veins. She opened her eyes and scanned the room again, reaching out to Connor with her telepathy.

An echo of his cries sounded from across the pool of water, followed by a wendigo’s screech. The Aether’s light dissipated, and she did not hesitate to take a few steps back and begin sprinting at the pool of water. Juliet nimbly leapt over the five foot trench and landed heavily on the other side. She grunted on impact, but she wasted little time getting back on her feet and chasing after Connor yet again.

After following the wendigo’s trail for another minute, she came to a small cavern separated off from the rest of the mines by a tall ledge. Connor was huddled in a far corner of the cave, claws fully extended and shaking like a leaf. His eyes were wide and alert, and Juliet could see the faintest signs of the Renegade’s red glow on his pupils. The wendigo was watching him curiously, trying to figure out exactly what he was.

The wendigo screeched at Connor, and he screeched right back. Juliet winced at the piercing noise, but kept still. Connor’s gnarled teeth were bared threateningly, moving with each twitch of his jaw. She could see hints of blood on his teeth, presumably his own. She felt a pit in her stomach watching him, knowing that his disfigurement was her own fault.

She pushed her discomfort aside and threw a fire spell at the wendigo. It exploded next to the creature, causing the thing to screech as flames encased it. Connor, seeing Juliet opening another Rift behind the mass of flames, swiftly leapt forward and kicked the wendigo back into the mass of green. The wendigo screeched, trying to regain it’s balance. It failed, continuing to screech as the portal to the Fade closed around it. Juliet leapt down off of the ledge to the cavern below, landing with a grunt.

Connor huffed, attempting to stand up straight before finally noticing the long, deep scratches on his chest. Blood dripped down his chest, dampening the black jacket. He stumbled back, causing Juliet to rush forward to catch him before he fell. His body was still trembling violently, but he calmed down slightly upon looking up at her.

“About damn time, B-Blackbird…” He muttered.

It did not take long for his healing factor to finally kick in. Juliet watched carefully as the skin reattached itself.

A small blue light emitted from his chest, and soon the monstrous teeth were gone and the bruises on his face were healed. Connor rubbed his jaw, smiling as he did so. No more crazy teeth.

Once he was completely healed, she muttered a small chant and his jacket was mended.

“Wouldn’t want Josh to see that, right?” She said cheekily as she looked up at Connor.

He, in turn, grinned. “Oh most definitely not. He’d have a huge fit about it. Let’s just- let’s not talk about it, yes?”

She softly chuckled, wrapping an arm around his waist as they exited the mines. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders in an effort to keep her warm as they walked back to the cabin.

 

 

 

There were many sighs of relief when Juliet and Connor walked into the cabin. Josh had sprung up off of his seat on the couch, vaulted over the back of it, and enveloped Connor in a tight embrace, causing the taller man to stumble slightly. After a brief moment of shock, Connor smiled and squeezed Josh, resting his head on Josh’s shoulder. Juliet shut the door, shivering and kicking her boots off. She walked past the two, smiling at everyone who was gathered in the spacious living room.

She noted that most of the girls had damp hair, and everyone had changed clothes. Chuckling to herself, she began walking upstairs.

“A shower and change of clothes sounds absolutely delightful right about now.” She called over her shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

The others nodded in response, each glancing at Connor to check for injuries. Josh sighed in relief upon not seeing any, kissing Connor’s cheek.

“See? Told you everything would be fine.” He muttered, pressing a kiss to Josh’s forehead.

Josh smiled at Connor, holding him close. Connor chuckled, relishing the feeling of Josh’s arms around his waist, along with the knowledge he had finally done it. The other teens got up from their seats to envelop him in another group hug, trying to express their gratitude in any way they could. After all the repeats, all the death, all the blood, everyone was finally safe. He glanced out the window. With a grin spreading across his face, he began to cry out of sheer happiness. Wind howled at the windows, and light pooled into the room from the glass.

It was dawn.

 

 

  
Juliet sighed in contentment as she lounged in the warm bath water. Deciding to relax after the chaotic events of the evening, she had gone a tad bit overboard, lighting several scented candles she had found in the large bathroom and filling the room with the scent of vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. She had turned on a playlist on her phone, and she smiled as one of her favorite songs came on.

She sighed again before completely submerging herself under the water, running fingers through her shoulder length hair to keep it from tangling. The warm water felt nice on her face, relaxing her after a night of utter insanity. Reemerging, she began to lather lavender scented soap in her hair.

Her thoughts drifted as she worked the soap in. First she thought of the events of the evening she had experienced, reluctantly recalling the image of Connor’s blood splattering all over the saw and Chris, as well as the wall behind them. She could still hear their screams. It seemed that that image would be forever seared into her mind. A lovely thought, really. She bitterly thought of reassembling Connor, how she did it so quickly and without any second thoughts. So much blood… It should have been impossible for him to have lost that much blood and live, but because of his healing factor supplying him with more, the amount of blood in that shed bordered on ridiculous. It had been dripping from the saw steadily for an hour straight; that should not have been possible. She could not imagine the amount of pain he had been in. Sure, she and him both had been injured on more than a few occasions, but nothing like this.

All of the stress and trauma these teenagers had experienced… Not that she would admit it to any of them, but she was planning on using her telepathy to help ease the pain and prevent any major PTSD-related issues. There was no way Connor would let her do it to him, but she was fairly certain he would not mind her helping his friends. They would still recall the events of the evening, but it will have significantly less impact on their mental health.

Sinking back into the water, her thoughts traveled to when Stryker had initially captured and tested on her. It seemed like forever ago; she had almost forgotten about it.She had been one of his test subjects for approximately two months before she turned against him and escaped. She remembered escaping with the help of Sabertooth, a fellow test subject who saw her as no more than a child and took pity on her. He had faced serious repercussions for it, but she was eternally grateful to him. While she worked the soap out of her hair, she remembered being strapped to the operating table while Stryker tested her pain tolerance. She could hear her own agonized screams, as well as those of the other test subjects who had endured the same thing.

Subconsciously, she ran her fingers over where the IV lines had gone in when they injected the adamantium into her. The process was mind numbingly painful, one thing she could never forget. She had lost all of the adamantium related abilities they had given her when her previous body had died. Now she only had what powers the Aether could give her, that being magic, control over elements, telepathy, and all of the knowledge the Stone held.

The shift from the Tesseract to the Aether had been a difficult one for her. It was strange to go from the Tesseract’s chaotic nature to the Aether’s calm yet intense power. Since this bonding was a choice for both of them, it took little over a month for them to bond and begin to tap into each other’s abilities. Since she and the Tesseract were initially forced into bonding with each other, it took about a year for them to finally connect. It was difficult for her to gain control over the reckless Tesseract, and it initially seemed like they would never get along. However, circumstance led to mutual interest and that in turn led to friendship. However, despite the multitudes of good and bad times, the Stone seemed more than content with bonding to someone who was a better match personality-wise. She refused to admit she was slightly offended about the ordeal.

Coming up out of the water, Juliet rested her head against the edge of the porcelain tub and rested her arms on it, eyes focused on the ceiling. The water came up to her bare breasts, causing a slight chill to hit the newly exposed skin. She sighed deeply, feeling the Aether’s power surging through her veins.

One striking difference between the two Infinity Stones was that the Aether was very quiet, choosing to only speak in times of need. The Stone would only tell her whatever it was that she was missing, where people were on occasion. It had stayed silent while they were in the basement, which frustrated the hell out of her.

 _‘Would have been useful to know where everyone was then, you blasted Stone…’_ She thought.

As she expected, there was no vocal response from the Stone, but the slight glow on her chest glowed brighter for a moment. She felt heat radiating from it, warming herself and partially the water. That had been the biggest thing she noticed upon shifting; the Aether was significantly quieter than the Tesseract. The blue stone would constantly supply her with commentary on the various things happening to them, never shutting up for a single moment. Small red sparks of power emitted from her fingertips. She lifted her hand in front of her chest and began bending the water into intricate shapes. First just random, abstract shapes, then a dove, then a deer. Then, just for fun, she made a tiny Connor. The tiny soldier ran across the surface of the water, and Juliet’s fiery eyes followed the ripples his footsteps left behind. She chuckled as he ran around, cartwheeling and doing generally silly things.

The sound of her ringtone went off, interrupting the song and causing Juliet to jump. The water plopped back into the tub, sending ripples across the tub water. Sighing, she reached over and glanced at the caller I.D.

“Larry Daley? Why is he calling me?” She muttered as she swiped to answer the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, uh Juliet? We’ve ah, we’ve got a problem.” Larry said, sounding distressed.

“I presumed so. Why else would you call me at such an ungodly hour?”

“Juliet, it’s seven A.M.”

“Your point?”

“Ugh.” He groaned, which caused her to chuckle.

“What is it, Sir Night Guard?”

“We’re having problems with the tablet… Ahk’s tablet…”

Her face turned serious as she sat forward in the tub, legs bending and knees poking out of the water. Her brows knit together in concern.

“What’s happening?” She demanded, voice calm to hide the anxiety coursing through her veins.

“It’s covered in this coercion; it’s turning green. Ahk thinks it’s starting to lose its power. It seems to be affecting him as well.”

“Oh no…” She muttered, covering her hand with her mouth as her eyes widened. “Oh no no no…”

“What? Do you know what’s going on with it?”

“I- perhaps? Why don’t you do some more research on the tablet, see if you can find anything. I’m in Alberta right now, but I can get there by tonight.”

“Alright. Ahk didn’t seem to know what was going on with it, but it couldn’t hurt to research it…”

“My point exactly.” She sighed. “Let me know anything you find.”

“Okay. Bye.” He said before hanging up.

Juliet set the phone back on the small table next to the tub and sunk down to her neck in the water, sighing again and crossing her arms. She shut her eyes.

“One problem fixed and immediately another begins. Can I get a break?” She muttered, groaning. “Evidently, no.”

She spent a few more seconds like that before climbing out of the tub and drying herself off, thinking heavily on what she was going to do.

“And I had just settled down… _Fuck._ ”

 

 

 

  
By the time she had come downstairs in a fresh change of clothes, everyone with the exception of Connor had passed out from exhaustion. He was seated in the middle of the couch, Josh’s head on his lap. He had put in his earbuds and was stroking Josh’s hair, quietly murmuring the lyrics to the song he was listening to. Having not yet bothered to change, he still donned the black jacket and dark jeans, though he had discarded the gloves in favor of running his fingers through Josh’s dark brown hair. The bruises on his face and wrists had healed completely. She did notice that his canines looked a little sharper than normal, but she thought little of it.

He sighed as she came into his field of vision, looking up to lock eyes with her.

“Long night, eh?” He said, briefly glancing at everyone.

“Tell me about it. And it’s about to get longer.”

Connor leaned his head back on the couch, groaning. “Seriously? Ughhhh…”

Juliet nodded, moving to pick up Emily’s sleeping form. “Let’s get them to bed and then talk.”

Connor sighed before standing and picking Josh up, carrying him upstairs to their shared room. Josh made a little noise of complaint upon being moved, groggily opening his eyes and looking up at Connor. He smiled down at him, setting him down on the bed and pulling the covers over him.

“Wha…?” Josh whispered.

Connor just smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I’ll be there in a minute; you just go back to sleep, okay?”

Josh nodded before closing his eyes again and getting comfortable in the bed. He was out like a light. Connor smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Buenos noches, mi amor.” He murmured, and he swore he could see the most miniscule of smiles on Josh’s face.

Connor glanced at him one last time as he stood in the doorway, smiling to himself. Josh would live to see another day. They all would. His efforts had not been in vain. They were all okay. They were all alive. He tore his gaze away and went back downstairs, carrying the rest of the group to their respective rooms.

A few minutes later, Juliet and Connor sat in the now empty living room, daylight illuminating through the windows. He had finally removed the jacket, leaving it in his room with Josh.

“So what exactly is going on, Blackbird?” He asked, leaning on his elbows which rested on his knees.

“You know the Museum of Natural History? The one with Ahkme-”

He interrupted her before she could finish the name. “Yes, yes I know the one. What of it? Is something happening?” His tone was irritated.

She nodded. He quietly cursed and took a cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it while she talked.

“I thought you said you were quitting.” She said sternly, folding her arms,

He huffed and blew the smoke at her, watching as her nose scrunched up in disgust and she waved the smoke away with her hand.

“Was, didn’t turn out too well. Besides, I think I’m allowed this one.”

“Fine, but if a smoke detector goes off and wakes them all up, it’s on you.”

He shook his head. “Nah, won’t happen. Now tell me what’s up with the museum.”

“It’s the tablet. Coercion has been forming on it, and it’s beginning to lose its power.”

“The power directly linked to the Tesseract.” He said, taking a long drag from the cigarette. “Shit. What do we do?”

“Mr. Daley is working on finding that out. Merenkahre never revealed the secrets of the tablet to anyone, so we don’t know what to do.”

Connor blew the smoke to the side before meeting Juliet’s eyes. “Simple. We ask him.”

She scoffed, leaning back on her seat. “And how do you propose we do that? Ship Ahkmen and the tablet to wherever Merenkahre is?”

Connor grinned and flicked the ashes of his cigarette on the hardwood floor of the cabin. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“That’s exactly what you think we should do.”  
  
Connor leaned back on the couch, taking another drag of his cigarette before looking at Juliet again.

“Come on, you got any better ideas?”

“Not really.”

“Point and case.” Finishing the cigarette, he put it out on the side of the end table next to him. “Now, I’m going to go get some sleep. Let me know when you’re ready to head back to New York to figure this out.”

“I told Larry to call me as soon as he found anything, so I’ll get you up when he calls.”

Connor nodded before walking upstairs and entering the room Josh currently resided in. He pulled his shirt over his head and kicked off his shoes, tossing them in the corner. Pulling the curtains shut, he sighed. It had certainly been a hectic night for them all. He relished the thought of it finally being daylight before pulling the covers up and climbing into bed. He wrapped his arms around Josh’s waist, hugging him from behind and resting his head on top of Josh’s. He took in a deep breath before finally closing his eyes, allowing sleep to overcome him


	10. Chapter Nine: From A Mountain to a City

**Chapter Nine: From A Mountain to a City**

 

It was 2:30 P.M. when Juliet got another phone call from Larry Daley. She groaned as she rolled over on her bed, the loud tone of a rock song disturbing her rest. She rubbed her eyes as she grabbed her phone and answered the call.

“Hello?” She said groggily.

“Hey, it’s Larry again. So I followed your advice and did some research on the tablet. Turns out all of the tablet’s secrets are with Ahk’s dad, and he and his mom are in the British Museum in London.”

“Alright. So we need to get Ahk and the tablet to London and ask them.” She muttered into the receiver, shuffling around to bed and groping around for her jeans and bra.

“Problem. Uh, Dr. McPhee got fired after some… stuff… happened. I don’t know if there’s any way we can.”

“Does the board know he was fired?”

“...no…”

“Ship the mummy and the tablet to London today; we’ll meet you there tonight.”

“Alright. Meet us at the museum entrance.”

“Can do. Bye.”

“Bye.” He said before hanging up.

Juliet tossed her phone back on the bed and buttoned up her jeans before sitting on the edge of the bed and sighing. This was going to be fun to explain to everyone. She fastened her bra and pulled on a dark blue tank top before grabbing her phone and walking downstairs.

She was rather surprised to see everyone else awake and lounging in the living room, watching some movie that Josh had brought. They were all crowded around the couch and had moved the chairs closer to it. Half of the group was seated on the furniture while the others sat in front of the couch. Hannah sat in the middle of the couch with a large popcorn bowl, and she seemed to be distributing it out to everybody. Connor and Josh sat on the floor in front of Hannah, with Josh sitting between Connor’s legs and leaning back on his chest.

Juliet walked into the kitchen and cracked open the last bottle of Chris’ whiskey and poured herself a glass, taking a long drink from it. Her thoughts were on the Tablet of Ahkmenrah; more specifically, the magic within it.

Long ago, when they were still in ancient Egypt, Merenkahre had entrusted her with the knowledge of the tablet’s creation, and had personally asked her to enchant the tablet to bring the mummified family to life each night after they all passed away. He apparently thought her to be some high priestess, and while she was flattered, she was also extremely confused. She was not entirely certain what to say to his request, but she accepted nonetheless. However, she was rushed in the process of enchanting the thing and accidentally bound Connor’s soul to it. She had been too embarrassed about the whole ordeal to actually tell Connor, and now look what she did. His life is at risk now because she was too prideful to fix her mistake. How charming.

She poured herself another glass of whiskey before glancing at the bottle. She downed the glass and then picked up the bottle and sat herself on the countertop, drinking straight from it. It was not long afterwards that Connor walked into the kitchen and took a seat next to her.

“Assuming you got a call?” He asked, taking a swig from the bottle.

“Yes. We’re heading to London tonight.”

“Alright. Was I right?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” She took out her phone and glanced at the time. 2:38 P.M. “Think we can make it?”

“Oh, definitely.” He said. “We just gotta drive back to New York then take Tony’s jet.”

“Yes…” She sighed. “We have to leave like, now, though.”

“Yeah… I think we can manage that. The others were saying they wanted to go home as well.”

“Understandable. Are we to call the police?”

“Nah. Gonna let someone in S.H.I.E.L.D. do it. Speaking of, where the _hell_ were they last night?!” He crossed his arms before unfolding them and taking another swig of the whiskey.

“I don’t know. I tried calling Coulson this morning before I went to sleep, but I didn’t get an answer.”

“Weird. Could’ve used the help.”

She chuckled. “That would have made things easier, yes.”

Connor sat there for a brief moment before hopping off and walking back into the living room. When Josh saw the determined look on his face, he knew what he was going to say.

“Are you two leaving?” He asked, causing Mike to pause the movie.   
  
Connor nodded. “Something’s come up that we need to help with. An old friend is in trouble.”

“And you two are going where, exactly?” Sam asked out of curiosity.

“London.”

“London?!” Josh exclaimed.

“What could you two possibly be doing in Lon- you know, I’m just going to stop there, based on the events of last night.” Mike exclaimed before stopping himself and deadpanning.

“Exactly.” Connor said, moving to go upstairs and gather his things. Josh stood up and followed him upstairs, leaving the rest of his friends to continue watching the movie.

Since he had brought only the necessities, it did not take him long to pack everything up. Josh leaned on the doorway, asking him questions, which Connor kept dodging.

“What’s going on in London?”

“Friend needs help.”

“What kind of help?”

“Can’t say.”

“Why?”

“Privacy reasons.”

“Who’s the friend?”

“Someone I knew a long time ago.”

“These are really vague answers.”

“I know.”

“I’m starting to get suspicious.”

“I know.”

“Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?”

  
“You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Connor, you fought wendigos last night and you got sawed in _half_ , yet here you are. I think I can handle it.”

“I’m not so certain.” Connor chuckled apprehensively.

“Please?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I say so.”

“Baby, come on.”

Connor sighed, looking at Josh. “I’m a time traveler and one of my former lovers was an Egyptian Pharaoh 4,000 years ago and now his mummy is located in a museum in New York and each night he comes to life and the magical tablet that brings him to life each night is linked to the mystic power stone that lives in my chest, so I could die for real and so could he.” He said in a deadpan tone within one breath.

Josh’s eyes widened, and he was not exactly certain as to how he should reply to that.

“Point and case.” Connor muttered, shoving the last of his things in the bag. “Just, go home with Hannah and Beth, okay? Juliet and I can handle this.”

“No.” Josh said, finally getting over his shocked stupor and shaking his head. “I want to help you guys.”

“Are you sure you want to get involved? It’s gonna be awkward as all hell.”

“I’m sure. I want to help.”

Connor sighed. “Fine. But I’m gonna warn you… This guy looks an awful lot like you.”

Josh chuckled. “So you have a type?”

“Not exactly… You two just both happened to catch my eye.”

“Are we like, distant relatives or something?” Josh joked.

“Yeah.” Connor slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Grab your stuff and let’s roll.”

“Wait, seriously? We’re related?”

“Yup. Now get your shit and let’s go.”

He nodded. “Tell the others that I’m leaving the cable car station unlocked.”

Connor muttered back a response before going downstairs to inform everyone about their plans. Josh began to shove what little things he had unpacked back into his duffle bag, trying not to think about how crazy the situation he was putting himself into was. He pulled on one of Connor’s sweatshirts he had stolen and his vest, zipping it up. He grabbed his duffle bag and went downstairs, and upon seeing Juliet and Connor waiting by the door, waved goodbye to everyone. There was a chorus of goodbyes from the teens, and soon enough, the trio was making their way down to the bottom of the mountain.

They were all silent as they made their descent, choosing to focus only on getting to the cable car station. Josh kept glancing at the other two, trying to figure out what they were thinking. Both of their faces were devoid of any expression, leaving him only to wonder. Connor deserved a break, especially after everything that happened to him yesterday. All of the yesterdays…

He shuddered, trying not to think of what happened. Juliet’s powers had made it so he did not feel the true weight of the trauma, but the sight of Connor up on that wall, with Chris tied next to him… Their cries for help, Ashley’s screaming, him pushing the lever in Connor’s direction, the whir of the saw… Connor’s blood… so much blood…

Despite them later telling him that the machine was rigged to kill Connor no matter what he chose, he still felt tremendous guilt about what had happened. He felt that he was the one who had killed Connor, or at least, put him in that much pain for so long. Having your internal organs repeatedly sliced open for an hour, all while being conscious… He could not imagine what it must have been like for him. He was not sure he ever wanted to know.

It only took them about fifteen minutes to reach the cable car station, and soon enough, they were at the bottom of the mountain where Juliet had parked Connor’s Mitsubishi. Their descent was one filled with awkward silence, with Connor leading the trio and the only sounds being their footsteps crunching in the snow. Josh looked at the sky, taking in the rich blue color and observing the patterns of clouds. Connor hopped in the front seat and turned the car on, starting the heat while Juliet and Josh loaded the back of the car with their bags. Juliet shut the trunk when they were done and turned to Josh, leaning against the running vehicle.

“Are you faring well?” She asked, folding her arms.

Josh shrugged. “I don’t really know. I mean, last night was fucking batshit insane, and now… Jesus, what have I gotten myself into?”

Juliet chuckled and smiled. “I ask myself that often. But truly, are you going to be alright coming with us? We can always take you home.”

Josh shook his head. “N-no, I think I’ll be okay. After all you did for us yesterday, I just wanna help you guys out in whatever way I can.”

She clapped him on the shoulder, causing him to smile. “I appreciate it, my friend. I think this will be interesting for you. You will meet your ancestor, after all.”

The two climbed into the now warmed car and buckled themselves in, with Juliet in the passenger’s side and Josh in the back.

“I know. I didn’t even know I was related to a Pharaoh. Which one is it?” Josh inquired, curious about his distant ancestor.

“Ahkmenrah.” Connor said as he pulled the car out of the snow coated parking lot and began driving out of the mountain range. “Fourth King of Egypt. Often hailed as one of the best rulers Egypt ever had, despite him only being Pharaoh for about five years.”

“Why was his term so short?” Josh asked, curious about his ancestor’s story.

“Died young. His older brother, Kahmunrah, didn’t inherit the throne, so he was vengeful towards Ahkmenrah. Killed him in his sleep. He was about twenty two when he died.”

  
“Oh…” Josh shuffled in his seat. “What was he like?”

“The snarkiest man you have ever met.” Juliet said. “Really nice man, but my word did that boy have sass to spare. He was very kind to his servants, and I’m certain that had something to do with a certain someone’s influence.” She nudged Connor’s shoulder.

“Oh shut it, he was like that before we even met.” Connor muttered.

“He also spoiled Connor rotten. Dear _lord_ , he got you more gold than I have ever seen and a _lion cub_ , for god’s sake. I mean, seriously, where did he even get that?! What did you name it again?”

“Bastet, after the cat goddess. She was the cutest little thing. Hated Kahmunrah, too. It was hilarious.”

“Right, right. Remember that time she swatted him on the nose and he got angry?”

Connor snorted. “Yeah! And he tried to get the servants to execute the thing, and Shepseheret wouldn’t let him.” He laughed.

“How did you two even get involved in Egyptian royalty?” Josh asked, crossing his legs.

“I knew Ahkmenrah’s parents.” Juliet said. “I was originally sent as a Roman spy with the goal of infiltrating their ranks, but Merenkahre and Shepseheret welcomed me with open arms and hired me to be one of their assassins. I ended up befriending them after completing several political related missions for them. I recall when Ahkmenrah was born. My, were those two happy about him…

“I ended up having to leave Egypt for a couple of years due to personal matters, and when I came back with Connor, Ahkmenrah was about sixteen. Connor originally came along to play his violin for the King and Queen, because I had mentioned it once before and they wished to hear it. And who am I to say no to royalty? Well, one thing led to another, and Ahkmen ended up falling head over heels in love with Connor. Connor ended up falling for him, too, and then he became Pharaoh! Ahkmen, not Connor.” She clarified with a hand motion.

“So then we lived in the royal palace for a few years. Connor’s treatment of the servants was rather odd to the royal family. I recall when Shepseheret came to me about it. Since Connor has been a servant on more than one occasion, he knows how hard it is, so he treated them like he treated anyone else. The servants quickly took a liking to him. Always bringing him the best wines and jewelry, bathing him in compliments. And, by extension, I got the nice things, too. Quite the nice set up.

“Then Kahmunrah finally got fed up with all of this, so one night when Ahk and Connor were sleeping, he slit Ahk’s throat. Bastet had been somewhere else, so no one noticed anything until the next morning. God, I remember waking up to Connor’s screams filling the palace. Everyone was panicking, and so many of us mourned. I remember the three of you just clutching each other on the floor of the bedroom…” She glanced at Connor.

“I’ll admit, wasn’t my best moment, but can you really blame me?” He said, leaning back on his seat.

“Not at all.” she continued. “So anyways, after a marvelous and large funeral, Connor and I fled Egypt. It was too hard for him to stay there any longer, and we had gotten what we originally came there for, so we left. Then we came here, since the Avengers needed our help. And here we are now.”

“So what’s the tablet thing we’re going to go fix?” Josh asked.

“Ah, yes. Forgot about that part.” Juliet rested her feet on the dashboard. “The Tablet of Ahkmenrah. Before I left Egypt the first time, the night Ahk was born, Merenkahre asked me to do him a favor. He had had a golden tablet forged for his son with the idea of it bringing their family to life each night so that not even death could separate them. Odd, I know. But anyways, he asked me to enchant it, since they thought I was some high priestess. So I did. Still not exactly sure what’s wrong with it, but it’s starting to deteriorate, so we’re going to London to ask Merenkahre about it.”

“But I thought the tablet and Ahkmenrah were in New York?”

“They are, for the time being. They’re being shipped to the British Museum for the night, so that we can ask Merenkahre about the tablet.”

“Ohhh okay. Yeah, that makes sense.” Josh crossed his legs. “Anyone else know about what’s going on?”

“The night guard at the Museum of Natural History, Larry Daley, and his son know. They are to meet us in London.”

“Okay, cool. So I’m assuming I’m not supposed to talk about any of this, yeah?”

“Mhmm. Don’t want to startle the public with a museum coming to life and all.” Connor said, pulling onto the highway.

“Understandable.” Josh said, leaning back on his seat and taking out his phone, checking for any messages while Connor drove on.


	11. Chapter Ten: A Rather Awkward Reunion

**Chapter Ten: A Rather Awkward Reunion**

 

_Connor could still remember first finding Matt’s corpse vividly._

_Matt and Emily had gone up to the radio tower a little ways away from the cabin to call for help, and upon a wendigo’s intervention, the tower had collapsed. Emily and Matt had both been thrown into different sections of the mines, and while Emily managed to navigate her way out, Matt was not as lucky. The wendigo had found him and caught him by the back of the neck, dragging him through the mines kicking and screaming until it silenced him with a meat hook through his throat._

_Seeing his body hanging so limply on the rusted hook had almost been enough to make Connor vomit. Blood dripped down his throat and chest, staining the purple letterman jacket he had been so fond of. There was a small pool of dried blood under his feet, which dangled helplessly from the hook._

_“Why would a wendigo bother with killing him with a meat hook?” Connor wondered aloud. “Don’t these fucks relish the kill?”_

_After searching his area of the mines, Connor began attempting to unhook Matt’s body. This proved to be rather difficult, as Connor was only so strong and there was a significant amount of space between the ground and Matt. He sighed as he grabbed Matt’s thighs and tried to push him up and off of the hook. After that failing a few times, Connor began to make a makeshift platform for him to stand on out of rocks in the mine._

_Using the platform, he managed to get up to Matt’s level and gently pull him off of the rusted hook. He held himself back from vomiting as blood poured out from Matt’s mouth and the open wound on his throat. Matt’s eyes were rolled back into his skull, exposing the whites of his eyes. Connor was quick to set down the bloodied corpse beside him and move to digging the small grave._

_“Catch you on the flip side, amigo.” Connor muttered before exiting the mines with his hands in his pockets._

  
After many hours and conversations varying from Ancient Egypt to Connor’s socks, the trio finally arrived in London. They arrived much sooner than they had originally planned, thanks to Connor’s teleportation of the car. He had scared the hell out of the Stark Industry workers, but they paid him little mind as soon as he got out of the car. They had grabbed their bags and moved them to Tony’s awaiting private jet, and in about four hours, they were finally in London.

Thanks to Tony making them reservations, they had a nice hotel room to look forward to upon exiting the jet. It was a bit of a drive away, but nothing the trio could not handle. Josh immediately threw himself on the bed as soon as they entered the suite. It had been a long day of traveling and sleeping for them all.

“Would anyone like to get food while we can?” Juliet asked, setting her backpack on a chair in the corner next to her suitcase. “I know a nice place not far from here.”

Connor nodded. “Sounds good. Josh?”

Josh made a vague noise of agreement, though it was muffled by the bed.

“Then let’s go, I guess.” Connor muttered, collecting his room key and his boyfriend before the trio made their way down the street to the restaurant.

It was a small cafe, located conveniently at the end of the street that their hotel was on. The scent of baked goods hit their senses the moment they opened the door. Not a lot of people were there, even though it was six p.m. on a Saturday, but the group could not complain. At least they wouldn’t have to deal with large crowds.

They took their seats in a small booth by the large window next to the glass door. A cheery waitress who looked to be in her early twenties came and took their drink orders. Connor began subconsciously studying her, and he eventually pulled out a small sketchbook he had in his hoodie pocket and began sketching her and writing down notes about her. She had curly red hair that was cut in a bob, and she had bangs that were cut in a straight line just above her brows. Her eyes were a rich brown, and they lit up when she smiled, which she did a lot. More than one really should. She was pale, and had light brown freckles dusted over her nose and cheeks. Her lips were plump and looked soft, and they had a rose colored gloss on them. She was a petite woman, standing at only about four foot eleven.

 _She blinked a lot when she spoke, and she had a slight limp in her walk. Shoes were too small. Sweater too large, and sleeves were wearing at the edges. Living in poverty, or at least on a low salary. Has a lot of makeup on her left eye, clearly covering a bruise. Abusive boyfriend, most likely._ He jotted down.

“You could see all that just from looking at her?” Juliet mumbled, glancing at his notes.

He nodded. “Learned to study people when I was in the military. Never really verbalized it or wrote it down, but I’ve always thought like this. Besides, can’t you see her limp?” He muttered, watching her as she walked back over with a tray holding their drinks.

“Thank you, Mary.” Connor said as he took the latte he had ordered from the waitress.

“Not a problem, sir!” She said cheerily.

“If I might ask, your accent. It’s Irish. What are you doing in London, dear?” He asked, taking a sip of the hot drink while maintaining eye contact with her.

“Oh! I’m here for university! Workin’ on my teaching degree!”

“Where do you study?”

“University of London! Been there for two years now, I have.” She grinned and held the tray to her torso.

“Really? Good for you.” Connor said, smiling at her.

“We’ve been at the University of New York for two years.” Josh said.

“Oh really? What’re ya studyin’?” She asked, brows raising.

“I’m shooting for a physics degree, and he’s studying psychology.” Connor said.

“And what about you, miss?” She asked, looking at Juliet expectantly.

Juliet grinned and laughed. “Me? Oh, I’m not in university. Graduated a few years back with a nursing degree.”

“You’re a nurse?! Oh wow! You have all my respect, miss! Me mum was a nurse for the longest time! She retired recently, though. Age was finally startin’ to catch up with ‘er!” She laughed a little before nodding. “I’ll be back in a moment to take yer orders!”

Connor and Juliet smiled at her as she left.

“When the hell did you get a nursing degree?” Connor muttered.

“Just before we met.”

“Ah.”

Josh leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

“Learn anything else about her?” He asked.

“Twenty. Been with boyfriend for a year and a half, abuse just started. Too scared to reach out, hides it behind her smile. Used to genuinely be that cheery, but now it’s just a disguise. Cares a lot about parents, father likely dead. Only child. Wants to be a teacher to make kids smile, likely had a bad experience with a teacher when she was younger.” He muttered, adding more details on the drawing’s hair.

“So why exactly is this a skill of yours?” Josh asked.

“I was an infiltrator and an assassin for a political group. I had to know how to read people and predict what their next move was. Eventually, I found it fun to just observe people. See what their stories are, watch how they behave. People like her are the good ones, the ones with a secret under a soft shell.”

“Ah.”

“Trust me, it was far worse in the military. He could tell you your entire life story after just a glance at you.” Juliet said, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

“Don’t exaggerate, Jay. I could not.”

“You’re certain? I saw you figure out Tali’s story when we met her.”

“Her’s was predictable, especially for a quarian.” He took a long drink from his latte. “Besides, I didn’t say it out loud.”

She raised her brows. “Whatever you say, Connor.”

The rest of their meal was quite calming, what with the atmosphere of the cafe and Mary continuously coming over to chat with the trio. Their food was tasty and quite filling, a stark contrast to the snack foods they had eaten the entire plane ride to London. An hour had passed without any of them realizing, and soon enough, they paid for their food and left Mary a generous tip and the number of an abuse survivor shelter for her to call.

The trio eventually made their way back to the hotel, choosing to lie around the room while they waited for sundown. Josh flopped down on his bed again, this time leaving enough space for Connor to lay down as well. Juliet had sprawled out on her bed as well and was currently flipping through all of the channels the hotel had.

“Why are half of these in Spanish?” She muttered.

“And why are they all poorly written soap operas?” Connor said, not realizing his Latin American accent was thickening as he spoke. “He’s so obviously cheating on her! Why does she keep going back to him?! _El burro sabe mas que tu!_ (Donkeys know more than you!)” He shouted.

“Well I suppose we’re watching the Spanish soap opera now…” Juliet muttered, tossing Connor the remote.

“ _Eres tan patético, que resultas entrañable_ …(You’re so pathetic, you’re entertaining.)” He muttered. “Sabe que tiene la cola sucia! (He knows he did something wrong!) How funny!”

“Jesus, Connor, you’re really getting into this…” Josh said, laughing at his boyfriend.

“This is all my sisters and I did when I was little! Watch poorly written Mexican soap operas and insult the characters. It was quite fun.” Connor said, letting Josh wrap his arms around his waist.

“So this is Mexican?” Juliet asked. “God, I don’t remember them being this bad.”

“No, this one is Spanish. They’re in Madrid.”

“How can you tell?” questioned Josh.

“I’ve been to Madrid before, it looks similar to the city they’re in.” He muttered. Josh thought it was sort of funny the way he was rolling his “r”s more than usual.

“ _Estas pero si bien pendejo!_ (You’re a fucking idiot!) Why draw a gun in the middle of a cafe over a girl?!”

“I don’t speak Spanish, what the hell is happening?” Josh asked, squinting at the screen.

“Trust me, dear, I speak Spanish, and even I have no clue what’s happening.” Juliet muttered, holding a pillow on her lap.

“Did that guy just shoot the girl he liked?” Josh asked as Connor continued aggressively shouting in Spanish.

“Fairly certain…” Juliet said uncertainly. “I’m glad that Tony got us a room in a soundproof hotel. I’d feel bad for anyone who had to hear this.”

Connor frowned at the TV. “How are the police not here yet? In my Puerto Rico, they’d have his ass before the gun even was pulled.”

“Seriously?” Josh asked.

“Mhmm. Because of all of the crime that happened in today’s Puerto Rico, we got our shit together and got a better government system, and by extension, better police. Crime rates dropped a fuck ton, too.” Connor cleared his throat. “Turns out tighter gun control laws were exactly what we needed.”

“It was more than just gun control, Connor.” said Juliet.

“I know, but still.”

He suddenly burst out laughing, startling Josh. “Pffft hahahaha there are the cops! But it’s too late, guys, she already had her dramatic death scene. Wait, she’s not dead?! _Estupido!_ (Stupid!)”

 

 

  
  
  
A few hours later, the sun was beginning to set, meaning they had to get to the British Museum and sneak in before it was closed. Connor said he had it covered, leaving the other two at the gates of the museum. He walked into the museum, briefly glancing around at the exhibits while stealthily watching where the museum staff was going. Glancing up at the cameras set up on the ceilings, he chuckled to himself. All too easy for him.

After staking the building out for a few minutes, he followed one of the guards into the back room. His footsteps were hushed, and the various turns and corners worked in his favor as he stalked the unsuspecting guard. They were alone, good. Connor swiftly knocked the young man out and set him in the corner of the room under several guard uniforms he found lying around.

“Sorry, kid. Gotta borrow your face for a bit, okay?” He muttered, shape shifting to match the unconscious man. Connor plucked the man’s ID card from his body, along with his keys, walkie talkie, and flashlight. “Promise they’ll be returned in one piece, amigo.”

He ran a hand through his now close cropped blond hair before leaving the room. The museum had just closed, and visitors were slowly filing out of the museum. Not long after, he ducked out of the staff room, strolling around and checking for remaining visitors. Employees that were leaving occasionally stopped to tell him hi, not suspecting a thing. It took about twenty minutes for everyone to leave, including all employees. The sun was finally beginning to set, and upon him noticing that, he got a buzz on his walkie talkie, startling him.

“Uh, hello?” He said in an English accent. “This is… Brendon, reporting.” His voice sounded strange in the foreign accent, but his cover depended on it.

“This is Tilly, the night shift guard. We got a shipment from New York, can you help me get it in before you go?” A British woman said into the receiver.

“Uh, sure thing. Give me a minute.”

He walked through the museum, wandering around blindly until he found the back entrance. There, he saw Larry along with who he assumed was Tilly and a large wooden box. He smiled at the pair and grabbed one end of the box while Larry grabbed the other. Tilly held the door open for them while talking about this boyfriend of hers. Both him and Larry were not paying any attention.

Connor met Larry’s eyes as they set the box down. His eyes flickered their vibrant blue for a brief moment, greatly contrasting the dark brown he had disguised his irises with. A miniscule smile appeared on his lips.

 _“It’s me, Connor. Wait a few minutes for her to fall asleep and I’ll unlock the door for you.”_ He said to Larry telepathically.

Larry nodded slightly to show he heard before standing up straight and shaking his hand. He nodded at Tilly before he walked back to his van, leaving the building perimeter. Tilly sighed as she looked back at Connor.

“I’ll lock up, you go on and head home.” She said.

Connor nodded before telling her goodnight and walking back into the museum, waiting for her to go back to her post. He waited a few minutes before going to the front of the museum and letting in Juliet and Josh, who had been pretending to be photographers outside for the past hour or so.

“Finally, I was getting tired of taking pictures of statues.” Josh muttered, adjusting Connor’s backpack on his shoulders.

“At least you didn’t have to be a _white guy_ ; god that was horrid.” Connor muttered, ready to be rid of his current pale complexion. Juliet chuckled.

Connor shifted back to his normal human form, blue scales briefly being visible before he looked like himself. He smiled as he pocketed the security guard’s gear. He now donned his usual dark tee shirt and jeans, with his dark maroon hoodie hiding most of the shirt. The two followed him through the museum, back to where he had left the box with Ahkmenrah and the tablet. As they walked, Connor filled them in on what had happened and what the plan was.

“I walked the entirety of the museum, and I believe I found where Merenkahre and Shepseheret are. It’s not quite night yet, so nothing’s woken up yet. We need to get Larry and Nicky in here before anyone wakes up.” He said, walking briskly with Josh and Juliet on both sides of him.

“When we find them, what’s the plan?” Josh asked.

“We ask them what’s wrong with the tablet. I believe I know, but I won’t say anything til we speak with Merenkahre. Don’t want to get the group dwelling on something incorrect.” Juliet muttered the last part to herself.

“Fair enough.” Connor said as they approached the room that contained Ahkmenrah.

He groaned when he saw the glowing golden light of the tablet’s magic. Juliet rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Damn, I thought we had a bit more time.” He grumbled, cracking his knuckles.

“You ready?” She whispered, concern evident on her features.

“No, but let’s just get this over with.” He muttered as he pushed open the door.

He heard Larry’s voice, and a few others he did not recognize. He also thought he heard the grunting of a caveman and someone speaking in… Mongolian? Chinese? He was not certain. The trio walked further into the room, and caught Larry’s attention.

“You three got in okay, great! Okay, Connor, you said you had walked around, right?”

He nodded. “This place is a freaking maze. It’ll take us some time to find the Pharaoh.”

Connor did not break eye contact with Larry, purposefully trying not to look at the star struck Ahkmenrah behind him. The Pharaoh’s jade green eyes were wide, and his jaw had gone slack. Connor folded his arms and moved his gaze to the floor, refusing to acknowledge his existence.

“Holy shit…!!” Josh whispered. “You weren’t kidding, man… He looks exactly like me!”

“I… I do not know what to say…” Ahk muttered, moving his gaze to Josh. “You… are my descendant?”

“Y-yeah…” Josh whispered, approaching Ahk. “Dude…”

“You’re… taller, than I expected…” Ahk said, smiling slightly.

“I’m related to a freaking Pharaoh!”

“Yes yes, introductions are nice, so let’s have some more. Who are you all?” Connor snapped, looking at the rest of the group.

A man in an old American military uniform and glasses stepped forward with a smile and shook his hand. “Theodore Roosevelt, twenty sixth president of the United States of America.”

A Native American woman was behind him, and she also shook his hand. She had a monkey on her shoulder. “I am Sacagawea. This is Dexter.”

She motioned behind her at a tall Asian man in full battle armor. “This is Attila the Hun.”

Two miniature men popped out of Attila’s helmet. A Roman soldier and a cowboy. “I am Octavius, Emperor of Rome.” The Roman said.

“Jedediah Smith.” The cowboy said.

“I…tiny guys. Okay. Okay. Not going to question it. Nope.” Connor muttered, turning towards the door. “Come on, we need to fix this tablet.”

“Connor.” Juliet scolded. “Introduce yourself at least.”

Connor whirled around and glared at her before looking at the group. “Commander Connor Hawke.” He said before turning again and walking out of the room.

Josh looked around the room awkwardly. “Uh, I’m Josh. Hi.”

“Hello, Joshua.” Sacagawea smiled at him calmly before she turned to Juliet. “And we know you, Juliet. It is good to see you again. Is your friend alright?”

Juliet sighed. “No. No he really isn’t… I apologize on his behalf. He’s been through a lot recently and was very reluctant to come and help.”

“I can understand why.” Ahkmenrah said rather sadly.

“Tis been a long time since I heard him call himself “Commander”...” She muttered. “Odd.”

“Okay, Laaa, you stay here and watch the door, okay?” Larry said to the caveman. He ended up having to teach the thing how to watch a door, but eventually, they had him situated. Josh watched awkwardly from the side, a brow raised in confusion. He had not guessed a caveman would be here, nonetheless the rest of them.

Juliet rested a hand on Ahk’s shoulder as they exited the room and began trailing after Connor.

“You have to realize how difficult this is for him. He saw you die.” She muttered.

“I know, but… He is treating me so coldly. What am I to do?” Ahk asked, shoving the tablet into Nicky’s backpack.

Nicky and Josh looked at each other. “You have any idea what's going on?” Nicky asked.

“It’s weird.”

“Do Ahk and Connor know each other?”

“Yeah. Some time travel nonsense.”

“Okay.” The teen shrugged, choosing not to question further, and the two followed the rest of the group as they caught up with the impatient Connor.

“The Egyptian exhibits are pretty far into the museum, and this place is a maze, so it’ll take a bit of time to get there.” He said, leading the group down a hall decorated with taxidermied animals. They all seemed very startled, looking around wildly and trying to figure out what’s going on. “And with the museum coming to life for the first time, this is going to be even more difficult.” He continued.

“They’re all just as confused and scared as we were when we first woke up.” Teddy said. “I won’t be surprised if some were to attack us.”

“Oh, that’s just _asking_ for trouble.” Connor muttered.

Larry, who was helping lead the group, held a hand up, causing everyone to stop in their tracks suddenly. He looked around the hallway, listening intently.

“You guys hear that?” He whispered.

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

The noises began growing closer, closer, closer. Connor then realized they were the sound of very, very large footsteps. Josh and Juliet’s eyes widened upon the realization.

“Oh shit.” Josh mumbled.

“What did I say, what did I JUST say.” Connor muttered frustratedly.

Suddenly, a the skeleton of a triceratops jumped out from around the corner, wagging its tail and baring its teeth. It roared at the group, and Josh grabbed onto Connor’s sleeve at the sound. Larry, while not looking away from the dinosaur, slowly edged over to the wall, taking a mammoth tusk from off of the wall. He held it up to the dinosaur, waving it around and watching its head follow the motion.

“Aw, look at you, you’re just a big ol’ puppy dog.” He said, causing Connor to look at him strangely. “You wanna play fetch?”

“What in the…?” Connor muttered.

The dinosaur wagged its tail. Larry took his chance and threw the tusk over to the left of the skeleton. It caught the tusk in its mouth and held it for a minute before snapping it half with its jaw. The group froze in fear for a solid second before running back the way they came with the dinosaur in pursuit. They turned a hard corner, causing the thing to run into a glass case and shatter it. They took their chance and ran into a medieval looking room, closing the wooden doors behind them. They sighed in relief for a brief moment before the skeleton crashed through the door. It roared and swung its tail around, catching Connor in the chest and knocking the wind out of him. He grunted on impact, feeling a sharp pain on his sternum. The force of the tail threw him back against one of the marble pillars, and he groaned before blacking out.

Attila screamed and hid behind one of the pillars, while Larry tried to fight off the skeleton. After several weapons were destroyed, he ended up being pressed against a wax figure in a suit of armor.

“Need a hand?” A voice said behind him.

“What?!” He yelled.

“Move!” The voice said, pushing him out of the way. The suit of armor sprung to life and leapt over the triceratops, drawing a sword from its belt. It swatted at the dinosaur, drawing its attention and luring it away from Larry. After a minute of fighting, the suit of armor punched the dinosaur straight on the head, causing it to whimper and run away.

As soon as it had left, the armor took of its helmet, revealing a man with shoulder length blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He smiled and offered a hand to Larry, who was still on the floor.

“Sir Lancelot, Knight of the Round Table of Camelot.” He said, shaking Larry’s hand when he stood up.

“Uh, I’m Larry, this is Attilla, Josh.” He said pointing to them as he said their name.

Teddy shook Lancelot’s hand. “Theodore Roosevelt, twenty sixth president of the United States.”

Lancelot continued to smile. “I have no idea what any of that means.”

He grasped Juliet’s hand and held it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss. “And who are you, my lady?”

“Juliet.” She smiled politely before harshly yanking her hand back.

Ahkmenrah glanced around Lancelot to where Connor had been thrown. Josh and Juliet followed his gaze and, upon remembering he was there, rushed to his side.

“Connor! Oh my god! Are you alright?!” Josh called, moving the rubble out of the way and trying to get a look at Connor.

“Connor, say something! Make some vague noise at the very least!” Juliet muttered, pulling his arm.

“Hey, don’t be dead, please!”

“ _Aye aye aye_ … what happened...?” A feminine voice said. “And why does it feel like I got hit by a truck…?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, the plot of the Mexican soap opera they were watching is based on something I actually saw at a hotel once. It was in Spanish and I don't speak Spanish so I had literally no clue what was going on.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Connie

**Chapter Eleven: Connie**

 

“Ugh… My head hurts…” Connie said as she pushed her way out of the remaining rubble. “Why is my hair so long…? And why do I have boobs?” She asked confusedly, poking her chest.

Lancelot quickly made his way over to her, pulling her up and brushing some of the rubble off of her. He smiled and took her hand, kissing her knuckles and not noticing the death glares from Josh and Ahkmenrah.

“My lady, are you alright?” Lancelot asked.

Connie stared at him, rather bewildered. “The fuck is you?”

“Huh.” Juliet said. “Who knew?”

“What the fuck?!” Nicky yelled. “Connor’s a chick now!?!”

“Language, young man.” Larry said sternly.

“Did I not mention that we’re mutants?” Juliet pondered. “I suppose not. Well, we are mutants, and Connie here is a shapeshifter.”

“...okay…” Nicky said uncertainly.

“Apparently, if your head gets hit hard enough, you shift.” Juliet said, poking Connie’s head and causing her to whine in pain.

“Ow, shit…! _Vete a la verga culero!_ (Fuck you, asshole!)” Connie said, trying to regain her balance. “Stupid fucking dinosaur…”

“Are you okay?” Juliet asked.

“Aside from feeling like I just got hit by a truck, I’m fine.” Her accent had thickened considerably with the shift, her “r”s rolling off of her tongue.

Ahkmenrah was not sure what he felt when he took in Connie’s appearance. She was a few inches shorter than Connor, with long, dark, chocolate brown curls falling to her mid back. She was rather busty, and had wide hips and thick thighs. He stared at her thighs for longer than he cared to admit. Her arms were just as muscular as they were when she was Connor, but now they looked… softer. The sweatshirt she wore seemed to be a few sizes too big, and the sleeves covered her hands when she pushed the sleeves back down.

“Um, Ahk? We’re moving.” Josh called back.

Ahkmenrah jumped, not realizing he had been staring or spacing out. He flushed slightly before catching up with Josh and the rest of the group.

Josh chuckled. “I had a similar reaction when I met Connie for the first time.” He said, looking at his ancestor as they walked. “She’s got a wicked tight bod; it’s incredible.”

“Has he- or, I suppose, she, always been like that?” Ahk asked.

“Been like what? Able to shapeshift?”

“Yes, that.”

“Mhmm. She’s genderfluid. Most of the time, she’s Connor because she feels more male than female, but on occasion, she’s Connie. On the Internet she’s usually Connie.”

“Yes, I know. Juliet has introduced me and the others to her YouTube and Vine accounts. The vines are quite funny.” Ahkmenrah smiled. “I always assumed they were different people; one of his sisters, maybe. He mentioned having many sisters.”

“Nah, all the same person. Oh my god, her vines though.” Josh chuckled. “I’m usually the one filming them.”

“Really? How wonderful.”

The two were silent after that, still not entirely certain how to talk to each other.

Their attention was turned to Attila as soon as they heard him yell out something in Hun. He was pointing at his helmet and looking distressed.

“Jed and Octavius…!” Larry realized.

“They must have fallen while we were running.” Teddy said, turning back to the hall that they had come through. The group searched thoroughly through the halls, desperate to find their miniature friends and tripping over their feet as they sprinted around. However, when Larry saw Octavius’ red cape caught in a vent cover, they assumed the worst.

“They must have fallen down in there…” Larry muttered.

“At their size, they’ll burn like tiny scarabs in the Sinai…” Ahkmenrah mused, staring down at the vent.

Everyone slowly turned their gaze to him, staring at him in bewilderment.

“Too dark?” He asked, scrunching his nose up.

Teddy slowly nodded. Ahkmenrah shrugged and watched as Larry removed the cover of the vent, tucking Octavius’ cape in his shirt pocket and setting the cover to the side. Connie frantically looked around the room and, upon finding the control station for the ventilation, scrambled over to it. It was behind a glass case, so she punched it and quickly shut it off, not paying any attention to the glass now in her hand. She sighed in relief, knowing the tiny men wouldn’t melt. She brushed the glass off of her hand and let her healing factor heal her cuts.

“Fair maiden, are you alright?” Lancelot asked, grabbing her once injured hand. “You should really let the men do the work, then you will not be harmed.”

Connie’s eyes widened as her brows furrowed together. Her mouth curved down, and she looked at Lancelot. His smile wavered. He paled slightly as he met her enraged eyes. Josh felt a sense of imminent death as he felt her stare.

“Bitch, the **_fuck_  **didyou say?” She said. “Let the men do all the work?!”

Lancelot gulped, and Connie socked him between the eyes, causing him to stumble back and fall to the ground. It took Ahkmenrah all of his self control to not burst out laughing. She huffed and folded her arms, muttering a curse in Spanish.

“Let the men do all the work my ass.” She grumbled.

Larry looked around the room, trying to find something.

“Nicky, give me your phone.” He said, walking over to the case that the triceratops had shattered.

“Okay, why?” Nicky said as he handed his father his phone. Larry grabbed a small piece of rope from the shattered case and began tying it around the device in his hand.

“I’m kind of… set up to track your phone.” He muttered as he grabbed Dexter from Sacagawea and began tying the phone around the capuchin monkey’s little torso.

“You’re _what?_ ” Nicky asked, rather offended.

“It’s for your protection. In case you get kidnapped or something.”

“If it helps anything, I’m set up to track Connie’s phone.” Juliet said.

Connie nodded in agreement. “I get lost a lot.” She said offhandedly.

“Oh my god…” Nicky muttered as his dad leaned down in front of Dexter, meeting eyes with the monkey.

“You got this, buddy? You gotta go find them, okay?” He said, patting the monkey’s head. Dexter made some squeaking noises back at him and grinned before climbing down into the vents and beginning his search for Jedediah and Octavius.

Connie ran her hands through her hair while sighing. “Let’s follow Dexter and see where we end up.” She suggested, shrugging her shoulders and shoving her hands in her sweatshirt pocket. “We haven’t got all night, after all.”

The group agreed and Larry took the lead again, following Nicky’s phone and Dexter as he crawled through the museum’s vents. Juliet noticed that Ahkmenrah practically couldn’t keep his eyes off of Connie. He was not eyeing her up, per say, but he definitely seemed like he wanted to talk to her. It reminded Juliet of when the two first fell in love back in ancient Egypt.

It had started with Ahk giving Connor multiple lingering glances, ones that the Latino had noticed. However, Juliet could not tell if Connie was currently noticing them, or purposefully ignoring them. While Juliet could understand why she would not exactly want to talk to him, it was beginning to get a tad bit annoying on her end. She knew perfectly well that both of them wanted to talk to each other, but she also knew Ahkmenrah’s shyness as well as Connie’s stubbornness. They would not approach each other without a push, and Juliet was more than ready to give them one.

“So what exactly is the quest you all are on?” Lancelot asked, reminding everyone of his presence.

“That tablet that Ahk has, something’s wrong with it, and we’re trying to fix it.” Larry muttered, following his phone.

Lancelot glanced back at Ahk, who smiled and held up the tablet so that he would know what Larry meant. He leaned in close to Larry and began whispering.

“He doesn’t look very tough, you can just take it.”

“No, we’re not trying to take it.” Larry sounded frustrated. “Something’s happening to it, and it’s losing its magic. We’re trying to fix it, but first we need to find our friends.”

Lancelot looked baffled. “But that isn’t part of your quest. You can’t just drop one task in favor of another.”

“Well, we are. No one’s getting left behind here.” Larry said, holding the phone up and walking into a gigantic art hallway.

Everyone looked around in amazement at all of the statues that had come to life. Tigers and lions stretched their paws, and bronze birds had taken to the air, soaring overhead. Josh was near enchanted by the golden eagle staring down at him from a perch high up above the ground. Its golden feathers glinted in the museum’s lights. Lancelot just stopped and stared at Larry.

“He is a very peculiar man. Aggressive, too.” He said.

Teddy smiled. “That seems to be his way. But it is endearing.”

Lancelot hummed before shrugging and continuing forward with the group, watching the statues walk around and making the occasional “Hahah! You’re not real!” comment, which had begun to get on Connie’s last nerve. Hell, he in and of himself was annoying her to no end. It was taking all of her willpower to not bash his wax head in on one of the statues. She didn’t give a single shit that sexism was common in Renaissance times; no one is sexist to Connie and gets away with it. However, she was managing to contain herself. Barely. He was beginning to push it, though…

Following Larry’s lead, the group came into the Asian art exhibit, and the group was utterly fascinated with the various Japanese scroll pieces that were hung in glass cases. There was a plastic cherry blossom tree in the middle of the spacious room, and below it was a plaque talking about the importance of the cherry blossom tree in Japanese culture. Connie would have taken more time to look at it had it not been for their current rush.

When they attempted to cross into the next room, a small statue blocked their way. It stood at about two feet tall and seemed to be made out of ceramics. It was waving its arms around, trying to keep the group from going in. Larry at first tried to outsmart it, but since it was hell bent on keeping them out of the room, he eventually gave up and just stepped over it, causing it to yell at him in whatever strange language it was speaking.

However, they all understood the small statue’s reasoning when they saw what was waiting in the next room. A basilisk sized snake was wrapped around a stone rock, sleeping soundly. As soon as they saw it, the group all hid behind the doorway, with Nicky, Lancelot, and Connie on one side and everyone else on the other.

“It looks like a dragon, I say we kill it.” Lancelot whispered.

“No! It’s a…” He read the sign. “A Xiaoling! And it’s sleeping!” Larry said in a hushed tone.

“Hmm, true. Alright, let’s wake it up, and then kill it!” He suggested.

“No! We’re going to sneak around it!” Larry whisper yelled.

“Ugh, fine.” Lancelot said. “But later, we come back and kill it.”

Connie smacked her head against the doorway, trying to distract herself from this absolute idiot. Ahkmenrah glanced at her in concern. Larry glanced around in the room before motioning at everyone to follow him. They stealthily snuck into the room and were about halfway to the exit when the tablet began to coerce.

Ahkmenrah gasped and began clutching at his chest, falling back onto Larry. Attila began to scream as Teddy began spouting nonsense about American pride. Connie began to cough violently, falling back against the wall near Ahkmenrah, while Josh rushed to her side and began asking her what was wrong worriedly. All of the sudden noise startled and awoke the xiaoling, and it glared at the group and hissed. Lancelot immediately drew his sword and charged at the stone creature, thwacking its stone surface with the weapon.

“You ever wielded a blade?!” Lancelot cried to Nicky, who was freaking out behind him.

“Only in World of Warcraft!” He yelled back.

“Well, now’s a good of time as ever!” Lancelot drew a dagger and tossed it to Nicky, not seeing the boy begin to swing it wildly at the stone creature.

Larry gently set Ahk and the tablet down and rushed forward, trying to keep the attention of the xiaoling’s many heads. He taunted them, trying to trick them into tying themselves in a knot. At first he was successful, tying two of the heads together, but then the rest of them figured out what was going on and all attacked him. He skillfully dodged their attacks, and upon seeing a heart defibrillator in the corner of the room, began to retreat to it. The xiaoling became distracted with Lancelot and Nicky’s attacks, giving Larry the opening he needed.

He turned on and activated the defibrillator before charging at the stone beast, leaping, and yelling out “CLEAR!!!” before electrocuting the beast. It spazzed around for a minute before falling to the ground, unconscious.

Larry stood there for a minute, panting and looking at everyone to make sure they were all okay. The tablet had ceased coercing, allowing everyone to return to normal. Josh was still leaning by Connie’s side, holding her as she coughed up small bits of blood. Ahkmenrah placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but as soon as she caught her breath, she gently pushed him away and leaned on Josh to help her stand up. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, clearing away any blood that might have been there.

“Seriously, Connie, are you okay?” Josh asked gently.

“I don’t know…” She muttered. “But I _do_ know we have to fix that tablet. _Now_.” She let go of Josh and began walking out of the room.

“I ain’t dying today, no sir.” She grumbled angrily, hearing the rest of the group trail behind her.

“Well, uh, thanks Lance, but I think we can handle it from here.” Larry said, clapping the knight on the shoulder.

“What? But your quest has not been finished! What about your friends-?”

“We'll find them once the tablet is fixed.” Larry interrupted. “Listen, thanks for everything, but we got this.”

Nicky and Lancelot exchanged their farewells before the group continued forward, leaving Lancelot with the unconscious xiaoling.

It was not long afterwards that they finally made it to the Egyptian exhibit. Connie drifted to the back of the group, near Juliet, as they neared where Ahkmenrah’s parents were.

“I’m not so sure about me getting close to them…” She whispered to Juliet. “What if they recognize me? Or should I let them? I don’t know what to do…”

Juliet sighed. “We’re going to have to explain this to them one way or another; you might as well just shift back to Connor.”

Connie sighed. “You’re probably right. I hate it when you’re right.”

“I am almost always right.”

“I know, and I hate it.” Connie grumbled, pouting as she shifted back to Connor, the blue scales briefly being visible as her height increased by a few inches and her form became more slender. Connor sighed deeply as the shifting finished, closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them and approaching the resting place of the people he used to know.

Their sarcophagi had been opened, and they were empty, proving to them that the two were awake and aware. Not long after they arrived, Shepseheret made herself visible. Her attire was just as it always was back in ancient Egypt; a silky white tunic adorned with many pounds of stunning gold jewelry, various gemstones encrusted into the gold. The kohl around her eyes surprisingly was not messed up, looking as perfect as it had the last time Connor had seen her. She rushed forward and embraced Ahkmenrah, praising the gods for returning her son to her. Ahk was shocked at first, but soon grinned and embraced his mother with equal force.

Not ten seconds passed before Merenkahre came before the group, also choosing to wrap his arms around his wife and son. He smiled and closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of holding his family again after so long. Connor folded his arms and shuffled awkwardly, not certain what to make of the exchange. Josh and the others felt a feeling of fulfillment. He felt happy, seeing the family reunited after so many years.

Connor briefly glanced at Ahkmenrah to make sure he was okay before casting his gaze to the floor. He was happy for them, yes, but… He was not certain of what he felt. A strange mixture of longing, loneliness, envy, and depression, all tied into one. There were other things he could not quite place, like the pit in his stomach or the chills on his shoulder. He frowned slightly, trying to sort out his feelings while the group talked.

There were enough people in front of him that Shepseheret and Merenkahre could not see him or Juliet, and he was perfectly content with that for the moment. Or… was he? Slightly shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. No, no he was fine not being seen. It was his job not to be seen, after all. He was used to this. He was used to the shadows; he took solace in them, after all. The shadows were where he was safe…

He took a deep breath and pushed his feelings to the side for the moment, finally focusing in on what the group was talking about.

“The tablet thrives off of moonlight. The coercion means it had been away from it for too long.” Merenkahre said, running his thumb over the greener parts of the tablet.

They began to grow, and Ahkmenrah began to stumble. Connor felt a burning sensation in his chest, causing him to double over coughing once again. After Ahkmenrah was balanced, Merenkahre and Shepseheret took notice of the coughing and rushed forward to investigate. Upon seeing Connor kneeling on the ground clutching his chest with Juliet at his side, the two gasped.

“Connor?! Juliet?!” Shepseheret exclaimed, kneeling in front of the pair as Connor caught his breath again.

“In the flesh…” He said, voice hoarse.

“But- but how?!” She asked, cradling his face in her delicate hands.

“Time travelers. We are magic time travelers.” Juliet said simply, patting Connor’s back. “Hey, there’s no blood this time.” She muttered, shrugging slightly.

“Oh shush you.” Connor muttered, refusing to meet the Queen’s eyes. She frowned in concern for him, trying her best to get him to look at her, but to no avail. He gently moved her hands away from his face and stood, helping the Queen and Juliet stand as well.

“You two disappeared after Ahkmen’s funeral… Where did you go? We were so worried about you.” Shepseheret asked in a concerned and hushed tone.

“It’s a long story, I’m afraid. One we haven’t the time for.” Juliet replied, a pitiful smile on her face.

“What is happening to him?” Merenkahre asked, taking his place beside his wife.

Juliet grinned sheepishly and apprehensively chuckled. “Well, uh huh, you know how I’m the one that did the magic on the, ah, the tablet there? Wellll... I may have accidentally, you know… bound Connor’s soul and life force to it?” Her brows knit together and she shrugged her shoulders.

“ _WHAT?!_ ” All three of the Egyptian nobles cried. Connor chuckled bitterly.

“That’s what I said.” He muttered.

Juliet laughed nervously. “Sooo, yeah…! Connor’s dying along with everyone else! So let’s fix that tabet!” She grinned sheepishly.

Shepseheret gave Connor a concerned look while Ahkmenrah’s eyes widened. He took a step back, trying to process the new information. He could handle the fact he was dying, again, but not Connor. No, not Connor. Anyone but him. He had just gotten him back; he was not losing him again.

Larry sped off with the tablet, racing to get anywhere with moonlight before the tablet worsened. It was almost completely covered in the coercion, and Teddy’s had had turned to wax again. He stopped under a sunroof, and had turned all of the tiles on the tablet except for one when the tablet was ripped out of his hands. He looked up to see Lancelot holding the tablet along with Nicky, and he had Lancelot’s blade pressed to his throat.

“How clever of you, disguising the Holy Grail as something as simple as a tablet!” He said, letting Nicky go and speeding off. “Now I must be off to Camelot!”

“No, wait! You have to turn that center piece, or we’re all screwed!” Larry yelled, chasing after him while Nicky ran back to warn the others. When he reached the museum entrance, he was stopped by Tilly, the security guard, who had Laaa the caveman with her. Larry groaned, trying to push past her.

“Stop right there! I got your little friend, and I’m gonna call the cops on you, Mr. New York America Guy!” She said, holding a small hammer next to Laaa’s head threateningly. He looked at Larry, giving him a pitiful look.

The next thing he knew, he was locked in the museum’s staff kitchen with Laaa, sitting at the table and sighing. The caveman was mimicking almost everything he did, eventually electrocuting himself with a knife in the microwave.

He sighed. “Connor is _so_ going to die.”

 

 

 

 

Connor _so_ felt like he was dying.

Running around a museum on his current boyfriend’s back with his previous boyfriend chasing after a rogue wax knight and a magic tablet was not doing anything to help his situation. Josh, on the other hand, seemed to be doing just fine, running at top speed with Ahkmenrah at his side and frantically searching the halls. After about five minutes of running around the museum halls, they gave up, barreling towards the front entrance where everyone was supposed to meet.

It was taking a lot for Connor to not cough up blood all over the back of Josh’s neck. The running around and shaking was not helping his ailments in the slightest.

When they came to the front of the building, everyone was already there, including Larry. He was distracting the lion statues with his flashlight. Connor chuckled. All cats are the same. Also the monkey and tiny men were back, so that was nice to know.

“Let me down, I should be fine.” Connor muttered as he was lowered to the ground.

After wondering for all of thirty seconds where Lancelot could have gone, a sign for Camelot the Musical came on. The group collectively sighed and ran towards the nearest bus stop, getting on the bus and ignoring the many strange stares from the other passengers as they sat in the very back.

Two children in particular seemed especially interested in the group; specifically Jed and Octavius, who were sitting between Larry and Ahkmenrah and clutching onto the handrail for dear life to avoid getting flung around the bus.

“We’re just as God made us.” Jed said, trying to get the children to stop staring at them all.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” Connor muttered, getting annoyed at the children.

The little girl wordlessly pulled out her phone and took a picture of them all, causing Connor to glare at her until she deleted it. Josh and Ahkmenrah exchanged glances, rather concerned.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the theater where the musical was being performed. It was a large theatre with French styled architecture. Lights were positioned on the building at just the right angles to compliment it. Based on the numerous amounts of people fleeing the theater building, Connor assumed that Lancelot had found his way in.

The group stormed in, all chasing after Lancelot as he climbed up to the roof of the building. Connor briefly noticed that Hugh Jackman was on the stage, absolutely baffled at what was happening. He then turned around and stopped for a moment in front of the actor.

“Loved you in Les Mis.” He panted before taking off again.

“Thanks, man.” Hugh smiled at him and waved, still absolutely confused.

No less than a moment later, they were on the roof, with Larry fighting to get the tablet back from Lance, who was holding a torch he had grabbed from the stage in front of himself. Not noticing that part of his nose had melted off. It took all of Juliet’s willpower not to burst out laughing right then and there, and soon enough, Lance took notice of it, dropping the torch into a nearby bucket and drawing his sword.

“Please, just give me the tablet-” Larry started.

“Stop looking at my nose!” Lancelot yelled at Larry while aiming the sword at him.

“No, I wasn’t looking at it-!”

“Yes you were, I saw you look at it!’

“No, I was looking at your eyes- okay seriously, how am I not supposed to look at it.” He said, slouching his shoulders and reaching for the tablet.

“Stop it! It’s not that bad!”

“It really is…” Juliet muttered.

Ahkmenrah suddenly lurched forward, clutching onto a railing. Connor collapsed on the ground near Ahkmenrah, clutching at his chest and breathing heavily as he began coughing again.

“Larry… We’ve run out of time…” Ahkmenrah rasped, looking down at Connor.

Ahkmenrah fell to the ground, still clutching onto the railing. His skin was quickly deteriorating, and his eyes were turning a milky white.

“My entire body has turned to wax, Lawrence… I’m afraid I won’t make it much longer…” Teddy said, falling back against the wall with Sacagawea holding onto his stiff hand. Attila collapsed next to them, falling to the ground with a thud. Octavius and Jedediah laid on the cement ground, holding each other’s hands and trying to to cry. Dexter squeaked uncomfortably before falling over on the ground.   
  
Larry’s eyes widened and he ran to the monkey’s side, begging for Dexter to hold on. He looked on the verge of tears. Lancelot froze in his place, as did Juliet, both watching everyone’s reactions to the dying tablet.

“No, no, Dexter, please…” Larry whispered as the monkey squeaked one last time before letting go of his finger and closing his eyes.

Ahkmenrah had grabbed onto Connor’s free hand, clutching onto him tightly while Connor began to cough up more blood. Josh cradled his head in his lap, tears already spilling down his face.

“No, Connor, please! I’ve already lost you once, I can’t lose you again!” He choked out.

“J-... Josh?” Connor hoarsely whispered. Josh furiously nodded, wiping his tears away. Connor tilted his head to the side and looked Ahkmenrah in the eye. He was beginning to physically deteriorate.

“Ah- Ahkmen…?”

Ahk smiled sadly. “Yes… I am here, my love…”

Connor smiled. “Good… good… Then I guess… It’s time… I…” He coughed a few more times. “I should...go…” He whispered before looking up at the starry sky, eyes glossing over. The piercing blue slowly faded and died out, leaving his eyes a warm brown color.

“No…!! NO!!” Josh cried out, cradling Connor close. “PLEASE, NO!!”


	13. Chapter Twelve: Song Bird

**Chapter Twelve: Song Bird**

 

Josh’s breathing was ragged as he softly cried into Connor’s chest, muttering to himself over and over “This isn’t real, this is just a bad dream, It’s not real”. Juliet covered her mouth with her hand, her other hand clutching onto the railing behind her and denting the metal. Her breathing hitched slightly, but she made little to no noise. He was dead, he was really dead. There were no tricks he could have pulled, no possible way for him to fake this. He was actually gone.

Juliet fell to her knees, cradling Connor’s face in her delicate hands. Her only remaining friend laid dead at her feet because of her mistake, because of her miscalculation. He had gone through hell because of her past. It was all her fault. Empty tears slid down her face as she choked back a sob.

Lancelot’s eyes widened as much as they could as he stared down at Connor’s slightly bloodied body lying on the ground, at Josh’s trembling form, at Juliet as her head hung in shame and silent tears streamed down her cheeks. He glanced at Ahkmenrah, whose eyes had shut and whose face held a solemn expression. He took in the rest of the exhibits who had begun to freeze.

“I think I understand now.” He muttered, catching Larry’s attention.

“What?” He asked quietly.

“This quest. It wasn’t for the Grail at all. It wasn’t even for you. It was for them.”

“Yeah…” Larry murmured. Juliet lifted her head slightly, tears falling from her chin to the concrete floor of the rooftop. She watched the two intently, trying to calculate what Lancelot was doing.

“Are you proud of yourself?” Juliet said, voice oddly calm despite her circumstances. “Look what you’ve done. Connor is dead. The rest of them might as well be, too. There’s no way for them to return without that tablet in your hands.”

“And-and I thought the saw was bad…” Josh murmured, voice cracking. “But- now he’s really gone.” His eyes shut tightly, as he choked back another sob.

“All of my work, undone…” Juliet breathed, inaudible to the rest of them. “My last true friend, dead at my feet because of my mistake. Tis a cruel fate, indeed.”

“I… believe this is yours.” The Knight said, handing the tablet to Larry.

Larry smiled at him before quickly grabbing the tablet from his hands and turning the center piece, holding the tablet up to the moonlight. The magic within the tablet came to life, golden light bursting out from the artifact. Juliet could feel the magic resonating in the tablet within her chest, the Aether’s light glowing slightly. Ahkmenrah inhaled deeply, his skin restoring and healing, and his eyes turning back to their vibrant jade color. Josh’s eyes widened as he looked up at Ahkmenrah, tearing his gaze away from Connor.

“When will my martyr stand, I wonder?” Juliet whispered, glancing at the exhibits. “Something like this has never happened before. The soul being drained, then brought back to life? Not even I had that happen.”

“What…?” Josh breathed, looking up at Juliet. “What are you talking about?”

She sighed. “It’s nothing. Speaking poetically to calm my nerves. An old habit, I’m afraid.”

The Aether’s light shone brighter, illuminating underneath her collarbone as the power continued to resonate within her. Teddy and Sacagawea embraced each other tightly, afraid to let go.

 _‘It’s poetic, in a sense.’_ Juliet thought to herself. _‘After all the effort to keep those he loves alive, he ends up dying himself. Tis only temporary, at least I hope, yet the point still stands.’_

Yet, as the museum exhibits felt life flowing within them, Connor did not stir. Octavius and Jedediah were hollering in excitement, hugging each other tightly and grinning like madmen. Juliet knelt down next to Connor’s unconscious body, lightly grabbing his wrist and searching for a pulse. There was nothing she could feel, no matter how hard she pressed.

“Mr. Daley.” She said sternly, catching the Night Guard’s attention amidst the excitement.

It was then that the other exhibits, with the exception of Ahkmenrah, who already knew, realized that Connor was not moving still. Larry rushed to Juliet’s side, tablet in hand as the exhibits walked to the body, gathering in a half circle around it. Dexter squeaked sadly as he tried to poke Connor’s leg. Sacagawea gently pulled him away from Connor.

“Give me the tablet.” Juliet commanded, to which Larry immediately handed her the golden artifact.

Ghosting the soft pads of her fingers over the hieroglyphics, Juliet inhaled deeply as she began to use the Aether’s magic to tap into both the tablet and Connor’s drained soul. The golden light of the tablet mingled with the red glow of Juliet’s fingertips, and followed them as she moved her right hand to Connor’s collarbone. She gently pressed down on the top of Connor’s sternum, releasing a deep breath as she did.

Suddenly, the Tesseract’s piercing blue light burst to life, shining brightly in resonance with her magic. The blue light traveled through Connor’s veins, bringing color back to his paled skin. The small crowd huddled around Connor gasped and watched in utter amazement as the magic began to come to life. His heart pounded, desperately working to get circulation flowing through his body. He sharply inhaled, eyes snapping open as he shot forward, clutching his chest. His breathing was shallow as he tried to compose himself. His eyes had returned to their vibrant blue, glowing amidst the darkness of the evening.

“Well. That fixed itself quickly.” Octavius said offhandedly from his spot on the concrete ground.

“Connor!” Juliet breathed in relief, grinning wide and scooping her friend in her arms. “Oh thank the Maker, you’re alive…”

“Oh thank god!” Josh cried, pressing a kiss to the side of Connor’s head.

“Praise the gods…” Ahkmenrah sighed out and grinned, gently touching Connor’s shoulder.

“Blackbird…?” Connor whispered, holding her as she patted his head. He could feel his shoulder dampen slightly with tears she hadn’t even noticed she’d shed.

“Yes, it’s me. I’m here, are you alright?” She pulled back and held his face in her delicate hands, running her thumb over his right cheek and knowingly touching where his disfigurement had been.

“I-I saw them, Jay…” He looked up at the moon. “Everyone… Everyone that had died…”

“What?” Josh questioned. “But we’re alright, Connor. We’re all alive, because of you.”

“Not- not you guys…”

Juliet’s eyes widened slightly upon realization. “You don’t mean-”

“I do. I was dead, I was in the Afterlife. It- it was ridiculous… Everyone together, and they weren’t fighting. They were so at peace… So serene…”

A pitiful smile crossed her features. “How were they?”

“As happy as you’d expect them to be.”

“I am so confused.” Josh muttered. “Who are you talking about?”

“You recall that we had that long story? Our pasts?” Juliet began.

Josh nodded.

“He’s referring to those that died along the way. Friends and lovers that had left us throughout the years.”

“Oh… I…” Josh wrapped his arms around Connor’s waist, holding him where the saw had cut through him and severed him in half. Connor let go of Juliet and turned to embrace Josh, tucking Josh’s head under his chin and rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“God, you need to stop doing this to me…” Josh said, voice cracking as he began to sob again.

“I’m sorry, Josh… I’m so sorry for dragging you into this insanity.” He chuckled dryly.

“I was so scared you wouldn’t wake up…” cried Josh, though it was muffled by the fabric of Connor’s sweatshirt.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.” Connor whispered, trying to soothe the sobbing teen.

“If anything, I should be the one apologizing.” Lancelot said, head hung in shame as he caught Connor’s attention. “I had no idea what I was doing when I took the tablet. I didn’t know that… that your life was tied to it.”

“Which reminds me. I need to fix that.” Juliet muttered, picking back up the tablet as she began to fiddle with it. The Aether’s magic shone to life as she ran her fingers across it.

“No shit. And how were you supposed to know, Lance? You missed the obligatory explanation of our role in the plot.” Connor smiled crookedly as Juliet glared at him.

“Don’t push it, Connor.” She muttered angrily.

“I… suppose so?” Lancelot’s brow quirked in confusion, but he did not question anything.

Ahkmenrah squeezed Connor’s shoulder, smiling at him and giving him a loving gaze. However, Connor did not look back at him or acknowledge him in any way. At least, not for a good few moments. He seemed to hesitate before, letting go of Josh and gently resting his fingertips on the back of Ahkmenrah’s hand. The Pharaoh’s eyes widened, as did Josh’s, but Ahkmenrah could only smile.

The Tesseract glowed from within his chest, illuminating the dark night as Juliet worked her magic on the tablet. Golden tendrils of light reached into Connor’s chest for a brief moment before returning to the artifact. Connor inhaled deeply, and as he exhaled, a small amount of the golden light left his lips.

“There we are… Your soul is complete once again.” Juliet said, smiling slightly.   
  
“Mostly.” said Connor, causing Juliet to frown in confusion.

“Mostly? What do you mean, mostly?”

“There’s a piece missing. Still left behind in the Afterlife. I can only wonder… No. Not today. I need a rest before we explore that possibility.”

“What possibility?” Juliet asked sternly.

“I’ll tell you later. When we don’t have an audience. For now, let’s get back to the museum.” He said, accepting Josh’s help in standing.

 

 

 

The exhibits had been quick to reenter the British Museum, with Nicky, Larry, and Josh trailing behind them. Though, once they reached the back door of the museum, Connor and Juliet slowed their pace, waiting at the door while everyone else raced back to Merenkahre and Shepseheret. They watched them all turn the corner before Juliet turned to Connor, arms folded.

“Explain what you spoke of earlier.” She demanded. “What possibility?”

“Well, part of my soul is still in the land of the damned. Doesn’t that mean I could technically go back there if I wished?”

“You’re kidding!” Her eyes widened. “Not even I have been able to travel there, not even after-”

“Shh, I know. You were stuck in the weird void place. But listen, with an eluvian and a bit of magic, we could possibly be able to access the land of the dead at a whim!”

“This is incredible! We need to look into this!”

“But we should probably wait a little, don’t ya think? I’ve had enough being dead for one weekend.”

She chuckled. “You’re correct there. Alright, we wait a month. That should be enough time for you to heal, yes?”

“Yeah.” He leaned against the open doorway. “Mind giving me a minute to myself? After all this, I just need a moment.”

“Of course. We shall await you inside.” She nodded at him before turning on her heel and walking into the museum.

Connor sighed and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a half used pack of cigarettes and putting one between his lips. He put the pack back before igniting a small flame on his fingertip and lighting the death stick. He took in a deep drag of the cigarette, sighing out a cloud of smoke and closing his eyes. Leaning against the doorway, he took in the smell of the smoke. The smoke burned his throat and lungs, a euphoric feeling to him.

He thought back on the events of the past two days. Or rather, what was supposed to be two days. He couldn’t really count how long it had actually been. All of the resets of the night at the cabin had driven him to near insanity, and then he actually died. That was not a thing that had happened before, despite all of the fatal injuries he had sustained over his elongated life. He thought back on his friends, the relief he felt upon seeing the break of dawn with all of them alive to enjoy the sunrise. He thought on their many deaths, the various ways that the wendigos had slaughtered them. The way their blood splattered across the walls, the way their bodies had fallen limp on the ground.

He thought of Stryker and his sudden attack. How long had he been planning that? It couldn't have been too terribly long, given the hastiness of his execution. It had seemed he was only focused on Juliet’s suffering, which means it was a vengeance plot. Fun. Nice to know he meant so much to the world. But, Stryker was dead now. There was no way he could get to Connor’s friends now.

Then his thoughts moved to Josh. He had gone through so much trauma in the past two days… He had seen Connor die two separate times within the span of about twenty four hours. That’s a lot for anyone to handle, but Josh? Was there any way to alleviate his mind? To help him through what happened? Perhaps he should let Juliet do some work on his mind, try and take away the major impacts of the trauma, try to prevent major PTSD. Maybe all of them needed it.

Maybe _he_ needed it.

No, no that wouldn’t work. It never did, after all. Connor’s mind was far too gone for anything Juliet could do. Though, for some odd reason, dying seemed to do something for his head. He was still insane, in a certain aspect, but seeing everyone he had lost had given him a sense of closure he so desperately needed. Perhaps that was a part of his mental deterioration? Most likely.

Glancing down at the ground, Connor folded his arms and flicked the ashes from the cigarette before taking another drag. A long, intact blue feather rested on a small rock near his feet, fluttering ever so slightly in the breeze. Some of the ashes from his cigarette landed next to the feather, narrowly missing it. The corners of Connor’s lips quirked up ever so slightly as he bent down to pick up the feather. He held it up to eye level, turning the feather around in his fingertips.

“Fitting of a songbird, wouldn’t you think?” He said to himself.

“Yes. It matches your eyes.” A soft voice said behind him.

Connor closed his eyes again as he blew out the remaining smoke in his lungs. A pair of arms, adorned in golden jewelry, snaked around his waist and held him to the chest of the man behind him. Connor leaned into the touch, despite the man behind him being a good half a foot shorter than he was.

“Now you know how I felt.” Connor joked, taking one last drag from the cigarette before putting it out on the doorframe to his right and dropping it.

“Cruel as always, I see.” Ahkmenrah muttered, waiting for Connor to blow out the last of the smoke before turning him around. Connor chuckled, meeting eyes with the Pharaoh. Ahkmenrah felt a warm feeling blossom in his chest upon seeing Connor’s smile after so long. After so much time had passed, he was still worthy of Connor’s smile. That lopsided smirk, the one Ahkmenrah had fallen in love with. Its beauty, in Ahkmenrah’s eyes, could outshine the glittering waves of the Nile any day.

“It is good to see you again, my song bird.”


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 

“You really think this will work?”

“Nope.”

“Yet we’re trying anyways?”

“Yup.”

Sigh. “You are utterly insane, you know.”

“You made me this way, Blackbird.”

“Hmm. The eluvian does not seem to be reacting in any different way than usual.”

“Maybe try… Mn… Oh. Oh no.”

“What? What is it- oh.”

“That’s… What is that?”

“Is- Is that Concord?! What happened to it?!”

“It looks like a nuke hit it. And… are those goddamn zombies?!”

“What in the…?”

“I almost want to go check it out.”

“No. We have duties here.”

“Can’t they wait? This could be a parallel dimension here. How often do we get to go to those?”

“Rarely, and there is a damn good reason for it.”

“Which is?”

“I- uh, we could mess up the space time continuum!”

“That’s the excuse you always give when you don’t want me to do something.”

“Ugh. You are hopeless. Besides, what would we even do in a parallel dimension?”

“Well, you said that’s Concord, right? That looks like a nuclear strike, and some of that tech looks advanced. Can’t be from the 2010s. So, what happened?”

“You want to investigate the alternate dimension, why?”

“Do we have anything better to do? Besides, Blackbird, I’m a scientist! I’m naturally curious. And I’d like to get my hands on that tech…”

“You want tech? Seriously? You’d risk crossing dimensions for tech?”

“You know me well enough to know the answer to that.”

“I know, and I hate you.”

“Suuuure you do. That’s why you cried when I died.”

“Oh shut it, you. You were sawed in half, for Christ’s sake! How was I not supposed to feel something from that?!”

“Keep being the cold, heartless monster you are?”

“Your jests will cause you trouble one of these days.”

“Pbbtttt.”

“We are not going to the alternate dimension.”

“But I want to go to the alternate dimension.”

“No.”

“Come on! We’ve got the chance to study the effects of nuclear radiation! Plus the possibility of nuclear means of power and weapons.”

“Ughhh.”

“Please?”

“No.”

…

“Connor are you seriously pouting?”

  
“Pleaase? Can we please go to the radiated alternate dimension?”

“You are ridiculous. Fine, we can go.”

“Yay! Science time!”

“UGH.”


End file.
